Refworld Case Law Collection Survey
UN rights chief calls for murder investigation after Philippine President admits to killing three people
| Publisher | UN News Service |
| Publication Date | 20 December 2016 |
| Cite as | UN News Service, UN rights chief calls for murder investigation after Philippine President admits to killing three people, 20 December 2016, available at: http://www.refworld.org/docid/585a42f440e.html [accessed 10 January 2017] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
20 December 2016 - Stressing that the killing of "about three" people, which the President of the Philippines admitted to personally committing, while serving as the Mayor of the city of Davao clearly constituted murder, the United Nations human rights chief called on the judicial authorities in the country to uphold the rule of law and investigate the self-professed crimes.
"The killings committed by [President Duterte of the Philippines], by his own admission, at a time when he was a mayor, clearly constitute murder," said the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein.
"It should be unthinkable for any functioning judicial system not to launch investigative and judicial proceedings when someone has openly admitted being a killer," he added.
According to the UN human rights arm, Mr. Duterte told business leaders last week that he had patrolled the streets personally on his motorcycle and killed people. On Friday, in an interview with the BBC, he confirmed that he had personally killed "about three" people during his term as the mayor of Davao.
"The killings described by President Duterte also violate international law, including the right to life, freedom from violence and force, due process and fair trial, equal protection before the law, and innocence until proven guilty," underscored High Commissioner Zeid, adding that if Mr. Duterte, as a government official, encouraged others to follow his example, he may also have committed incitement to violence.
It should be unthinkable for any functioning judicial system not to launch investigative and judicial proceedings when someone has openly admitted being a killerHigh Commissioner Zeid
Mr. Zeid also said that Mr. Duterte's repeated calls for the police, military and the general public to engage in a 'war on drugs', bringing people in 'dead or alive', has emboldened an environment of alarming impunity and violence and that repeated statements indicating immunity for police officers who engaged in human rights violations in the line of duty were "a direct violation of all democratic safeguards that have been established to uphold justice and the rule of law."
