Says UN rapporteurs should be “impartial, neutral, willing to investigate,” though
(Eagle News) — The Palace on Monday said it would still welcome a United Nations inquiry into the government’s war on drugs despite a pronouncement of the UN human rights chief against President Rodrigo Duterte.
Roque said, however, that the UN special rapporteurs who, if ever, will look into the same should be “impartial, neutral, and willing to investigate rather than (already have) conclusions and wanting to justify them through one investigation.”
Roque appeared to be referring to Agnes Callamard, whom he already earlier slammed for having come to the country “uninvited” and with already preconceived notions about the drug war.
Roque also again slammed UN High Commissioner on Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al-Hussein for his comment Duterte should undergo a “psychiatric evaluation” following what he said were the chief executive’s attacks on the UN.
According to Roque, “UN officials should, as a matter of course, respect sitting heads of state, because after all the UN is composed is an international organization (and) is composed of sovereign state(s).”
He also defended Duterte’s comment he would feed the UN rapporteurs to crocodiles, saying this was an appropriate response to the “crude language” in the first place.
“They are not even being allowed in to investigate. There would be no occasion to push them to the crocodiles,” Roque said.
