(Eagle News) – The United Nations Human Rights Commissioner Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein has “deplored” a recent statement of President Rodrigo Duterte urging police forces not to cooperate with UN special rapporteur who is tasked to investigate the alleged human rights violations in the Philippines.
In his oral address on March 7 to the 37th human rights council, Zeid said he was also concerned with the “continued vilification” of UN Special Rapporteur Agnes Callamard by the Philippine leader.
Zeid, in another event attended by media later, also called President Duterte’s words and actions against Callamard “absolutely disgraceful” and “unacceptable,” as he suggested that the Philippine president “submit himself to some sort of psychiatric evaluation.”
“This is absolutely disgraceful, that a president of a country could speak in this way, using the foulest of language against a rapporteur that’s highly respected,” the UN human rights chief said.
“And really it makes one believe that the president of the Philippines needs to submit himself to some sort of psychiatric evaluation. This sort of comment really is unacceptable, unacceptable.”
During his address to the 37th Human Rights Council, Zeid said this was contrary to earlier pronouncements by the Philippine government that it would cooperate with the UN on the drug-related challenges that it faced.
Aside from the Philippines, the High Commissioner also spoke in his speech about the situation of human rights in Ecuador, Saudi Arabia, The Gambia, Somalia, Portugal, Iran, the occupied Palestinian territories, Cambodia, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, China, Kashmir, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe and Turkey.
“In the Philippines, following the International Criminal Court’s announcement of plans to open an investigation, the authorities announced their willingness to work with the UN on drug-related challenges,” Zeid said during the event on March 7.
“I deplore the President Duterte’s statement last week to élite police units that they should not cooperate ‘when it comes to human rights, or whoever rapporteur it is’ and the continued vilification of this Council’s Special Rapporteur on extra-judicial killings by the authorities,” he said.
-Duty to uphold human rights-
The UN human rights commissioner said the Philippine “government has a duty to uphold human rights and to engage with persons appointed by this Council.”
Malacanang had said that it was willing to cooperate with an objective UN Rapporteur, as it found Callamard to have already allegedly formed her own biases against the Philippine campaign to stamp out criminality and illegal drugs.
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque stressed that any investigation that would be conducted by the United Nations Special Rapporteur “should have the proper consent from the state party,” as it questioned the credibility and character of UN rapporteur Callamard.
“To those familiar with the Special Rapporteur’s system, all investigations must be consented to by state parties. And there’s no one that can compel a state party to allow an investigation if it does not want to do so,” Roque stressed in a press briefing Tuesday, Feb. 27.
But Zeid viewed the Philippine government’s views on Callamard as a cause for concern, along with other controversies surrounding the Philippines which were being reported in the news.
These included what he called were “deepening repression and increasing threats to individuals and groups with independent or dissenting views.”
-UNHR chief cites impeachment case in PHL-
The UN official even referred to the impeachment or dismissal cases filed against “members of the Supreme Court, the Office of the Ombudsman and other institutions representing democratic safeguards.”
Zeid was apparently referring to the impeachment case filed against Supreme Court Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno which will soon be tried in the Senate.
He also cited the case of Senator Leila de Lima whom he claimed “has now been arbitrarily detained for over a year, without clear charges.”
De Lima, who faces cases in connection with her alleged role in the illegal drug trade in the New Bilibid Prison when she was justice secretary, has been detained in Camp Crame since her arrest in February 2017.
The cases were filed by the Department of Justice based on the complaints by the National Bureau of Investigation and the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC).
The UN Human Rights Commissioner also criticized the Philippine president to his “encouragement to troops to violate fundamental rules of international humanitarian law.”
“I further deplore President Duterte’s encouragement to troops to violate fundamental rules of international humanitarian law, including his statement that they should shoot women fighters in their genitals because this would render them ‘useless’,” Zeid said.
He claimed the Philippine government was doing an “authoritarian approach” that “threatens to “irreparably damage 30 years of commendable efforts by the Philippines to strengthen the rule of law and respect for the human rights of the people.”
Philippine president Duterte hit the UN Human Rights commissioner in December 2016 for telling him how to run the government, and even called him an “idiot.”
Referring to Zeid, Duterte in a speech then said: “You idiot, do not tell me what to do… Who gave you the right?”