PHILIPPINES Duterte’s drug war admissions are crimes against humanity

This was highlighted by the head of the Human Rights Commission of the House of Representatives after yesterday’s hearing, in which the former president acknowledged that he had given orders to “encourage” the suspects to react, in order to justify the murders at the hands of of police For lawyers and activists, his words are “conclusive evidence” of guilt.

Manila () – The admissions made yesterday before the Senate by former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte in relation to his active role in the numerous deaths related to the war on drugs carried out by Manila during his government, make him responsible for ” crimes against humanity,” said today the head of the House Human Rights Commission, Bienvenido Abante, a day after the former head of state’s statement, according to which he ordered the police to “encourage” them to react to the suspects in order to kill them. He would also have had a real death squad under his direct control.

“It is now up to the competent authorities to carefully examine the statement and determine the criminal responsibilities of the people involved, both under the concept of command responsibility and conspiracy,” Abante continued. “These cases could include crimes against humanity sanctioned by Republican Law No. 9581, the Philippine Crimes Against International Humanitarian Law Act, genocide and other crimes against humanity,” he warned. When asked about the scope of the admission that was made before the commission, he stated that it was “binding.”

A similar view was held by human rights lawyer Chel Diokno, who was present at yesterday’s Senate hearing, who said Duterte’s admissions can be used against him in court. It is very compelling evidence because he made those statements under oath, and it is what we call extrajudicial admissions,” the lawyer and activist said in a television interview. “They come out of his mouth. It’s the best kind of proof,” he concluded, “because it doesn’t come from someone else. “It comes directly from the former president.”

Returning to the statements, the head of the House Human Rights Commission also spoke of the “impressive normalization of brutality” during the interrogation. Duterte, Abante said, “does not offer excuses, nor does he show any sign of regret” for the extrajudicial killings that have characterized his tenure.

Duterte won the 2016 presidential race with an overwhelming consensus, thanks in part to a promise to replicate on a national scale the anti-crime campaign he had waged during his tenure in Davao City. The war against drug trafficking and drug consumption has left thousands of suspects dead in controversial police operations. An investigation is currently open at the International Criminal Court (ICC) to determine whether the deaths related to the violent anti-drug campaign – which has also been investigated by the UN – are the result of a state policy. According to data from the Philippine National Police (PNP), the official death toll exceeds 6,600, but according to media reports and human rights activists, the number of victims ranges between 27,000 and 30,000 including murders. committed by the guards.

The commission had already invited Duterte to attend the Oct. 22 session so he could respond to allegations that after winning the 2016 presidential election, he deliberately elevated the so-called “Davao model” to the national level. A deliberate policy of executions that provides a monetary reward for each person killed. The next hearing has been set for November 6. “We hope – concludes Abante – that the former president will appear. We have many questions to ask him about his war on drugs and the resulting deaths. We believe that his answers will give us a more complete picture of extrajudicial executions.”