Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte 'could face international court'

[poledriver]

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte 'could face international court'

Bangkok: Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte could face international criminal charges as the death count in his relentless war on drugs tops almost 2000, human rights advocates say.

Comments by the tough-talking former provincial mayor such as "all of you are into drugs, you sons of bitches … I will kill you" could be used as evidence to prosecute him, they say.

Sam Zarifi from the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) says it is likely that as the killings continue lawyers will gather evidence to initiate legal proceedings against Mr Duterte like 9541 victims of the late Philippines dictator Ferdinand Marcos did in the United States in the 1990s.

In 1995 a US court awarded the victims $US1.9 billion after finding that Marcos, who died in exile in 1989, was responsible for massive human rights abuses, including torture, murder and "disappearances of fellow Filipinos".

Mr Zarifi, the ICJ's regional director for Asia and Pacific, told the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Thailand that the killings in the Philippines since 71-year-old Mr Duterte was swept into office at May elections are widespread and systematic, meeting the criteria under international law of crimes against humanity that could be prosecuted by the International Criminal Court in The Hague.

He said while anyone can submit a case to the International Criminal Court, prosecutors there would be unlikely to initiate proceedings unless pressed by a global political movement.

But he said criminal charges could be laid against Mr Duterte in any country.

"I am not holding my breath for international action but if these (killings) continue at the same velocity I would expect cases to start popping up," he said.

Mr Zarifi said Mr Duterte has made many comments that could be used against him in foreign courts, including several weeks ago declaring: "My order is to shoot to kill. I don't care about human rights … this is a war against drugs and we have to fight it."

Phelim Kine, Human Rights Watch's Asia director, described the first weeks of Mr Duterte's rule as "nothing less than absolute human rights disaster".

"We have the highest elected official of the land openly, actively, aggressively calling for the extrajudicial killing of criminal suspects," he said.

"The numbers are absolutely shocking."

Mr Duterte promised during the election campaign that 100,000 people would die in his drugs crackdown and that fish in Manila Bay would grow fat from eating bodies.

But amid condemnation from human rights groups, the United Nations, the United States, the Catholic Church and some politicians, Mr Duterte has in recent weeks denied security forces have carried out extra-judicial killings, saying police have only killed in self-defence.

The latest police data shows that around 1000 accused drug suspects have been killed in police operations and another around 1000 in shootings by unidentified assailants.

Opinion polls show approval of Mr Duterte continues to hover around 90 per cent in the country of 100 million people with one of Asia's highest rates of illegal drug use and crime.

Mr Duterte claims there are more than three million drugs users in the country.

More than 600,000 have surrendered to police since July 1, packing prisoners into already overcrowded jails.

http://www.smh.com.au/world/philipp...over-drug-war-casualties-20160901-gr6an0.html

 

[LucidSDreamr]

nixon is cumming in his grave at duerte

 

[Black]

Opinion polls show approval of Mr Duterte continues to hover around 90 per cent

this is the most shocking part of the story.
at a time when you already think that the potential for being complete idiots is at around 50% of the population, there is new information that puts the figure at 90%...

 

[LucidSDreamr]

this is the most shocking part of the story.
at a time when you already think that the potential for being complete idiots is at around 50% of the population, there is new information that puts the figure at 90%...

to give phillipinians some credit....we have no idea what its like to live in a country that poor and crime and meth ridden. I might be begging the government for drastic action at that point also.

the country is highly religious which is part of the problem....they see these drug addicts as evil people that deserve death and hell....not humans with the same faults as everyone that happen to be stuck in drug addiction because their lives are so shitty that they figure the might as well be on meth all the time.

 

[poledriver]

Philippines' Rodrigo Duterte calls Barack Obama 'son of a whore' over human rights talk

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has called Barack Obama a "son of a whore" as he vowed not to be lectured by the US leader on human rights when they meet in Laos.

Key points:

Duterte warns Obama: "I will curse you"
Pair are due to meet in Vientiane on Tuesday
Duterte insists he does not care how he is perceived

Mr Duterte bristled at warnings he would face questioning by the US President over a war against drugs in the Philippines that has claimed more than 2,400 lives in just over two months.

"You must be respectful. Do not just throw away questions and statements. Son of a whore, I will curse you in that forum," Mr Duterte told a news conference shortly before flying to Laos to attend a summit.

"We will be wallowing in the mud like pigs if you do that to me."
Mr Duterte was due to hold a bilateral meeting with Mr Obama this week on the sidelines of a gathering of global leaders hosted by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Vientiane, the Lao capital.

But shortly after Mr Duterte spoke, Mr Obama appeared to cast doubt on whether such a meeting could take place.

Calling Mr Duterte "a colourful guy", the US President said was asking his staff to find out whether a meeting would be useful.

"I always want to make sure if I'm having a meeting that it's actually productive and we're getting something done," he told reporters.

Mr Duterte, 71, was elected in May after a promise to wage an unprecedented war on illegal drugs that would see tens of thousands of suspects killed.

Official figures released on Sunday show that, since he took office on June 30, over 2,400 people have been killed in police anti-drug operations and by suspected vigilantes.

Speaking on the sidelines of the G20 summit in the Chinese city of Hangzhou, Mr Obama said Washington recognised that drugs were a significant problem for the Philippines.

Obama says he will raise drugs issue with Duterte

But he insisted that he would not shy away from raising concerns about the way the issue was being handled under the new administration.

The lethal results of Duterte's war

Ben Bohane goes on patrol with police in Manila to document Rodrigo Duterte's war on drugs.
"The issue of how we approach fighting crime and drug trafficking is a serious one for all of us. We've got to do it the right way," Mr Obama said.

"Undoubtedly, if and when we have a meeting, this is something that's going to be brought up.

"And my expectation, my hope is that it could be dealt with constructively."

Mr Duterte has angrily rejected criticism from the Catholic Church, human rights groups, legislators and the United Nations.

And he vowed on Monday the bloodbath would continue as he pursued his goal of eradicating illegal narcotics in the Philippines.

"More people will be killed, plenty will be killed until the last pusher is out of the streets. Until the [last] drug manufacturer is killed, we will continue and I will continue," he said.

Mr Duterte insisted he would not take orders from the United States, a former colonial ruler of the Philippines, and did not care about how he was perceived.

"I don't give a shit about anybody observing my behaviour," he said.
Mr Duterte has quickly earned a reputation for making offensive comments about his critics, or others he does not like.

He has also branded Pope Francis and the US ambassador to Manila sons of whores. And before the United Nations criticised him, he told the global body "f**k you".

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-09-...alls-obama-son-of-a-whore/7817454?pfmredir=sm

 

[JessFR]

Not to sound too American here, but can we maybe overthrow and kill this asshole?

 

[belligerent drunk]

I have a (slightly hopeful) suspicion that this will be one of the last straws in the War on (some) Drugs. Maybe with this over-the-top extremism the world will see how absurd it is.

"Kill that junkie before he is able to kill himself through drug use!!!"

Of course, it's sad to see people dying by the thousand, especially considering that obviously a significant portion of them have never even been close to drugs, but were killed for other reasons under the guise of this drug war. But hell, this retarded system has already ruined millions, or even hundreds of millions, of lives...

 

[poledriver]

Philippines: President Rodrigo Duterte’s friend ‘The Rock’ is the man behind the war on drugs

HE’S known as The Rock and not just because of his hardline stance and immovable position when it comes to his country’s war on drugs.
Widely regarded as The Punisher’s right hand man, Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Ronald Dela Rosa is every bit as dangerous as the country’s fiery president.
While The Punisher, president Rodrigo Duterte, has earned his nickname for ordering a brutal war on drugs, former military man Dela Rosa’s moniker goes back further and is just as deserved.

The police chief, whose nickname (bato) translates to rock or stone, has become a household name due to his close relationship with the president and equally tough approach to crime.
Duterte made global headlines in May when he promised to kill 100,000 criminals if elected to power.

Since then at least 3000 people have been killed, according to police figures, equating to around 44 deaths each day, AFP reported.
However human rights group fear that figure is much higher.

This week, the president, who hit the headlines after calling US President Barack Obama the son of a wh***, reaffirmed his commitment to fighting drugs, vowing the killings of pushers will continue.
“Until the (last) drug manufacturer is killed, we will continue and I will continue,” he said.

THE RISE OF BATO

The Rock earned his nickname early on in his career after graduating from the country’s military academy, according to CNN.
But it seems the nickname was apt for reasons other than where he grew up.

“When I was (first) seen by my senior officers, my body was like a rock ... rock solid. So they told me, ‘Bato!’ They start calling me ‘Bato’ because of my build.”
“Later on they realised that I was born and raised in Barangay Bato, Santa Cruz, Davao Del Sur — that’s my birthplace, Barangay Bato.”
“So that was reinforced until now. They keep calling me ‘Bato.’ I cannot change it anymore.”

THE PUNISHER AND THE ROCK

After graduating from the academy, Dela Rosa completed his ranger training and began working in his hometown of Davao where he was Duterte’s police chief — ahead of his much bigger promotion.
But the “friends” go back even further, in fact some 30 years, CNN reports, with Dela Rosa revealing they even share a telepathic connection.

Cont -

http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/re...s/news-story/90ae13839d48b76628f449d3d3a6104d