Duterte’s words on body count
MANILA: Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte, who plays host to world leaders from today, has said repeatedly in recent months he has never incited his police or vigilantes to kill illegally. Police have reported killing nearly 4,000 in his anti-drug war, and many thousands of murders remain unexplained, but Duterte insists he is not responsible for any unlawful deaths. “I know that I have been demonized,” Duterte said during a recent speech to Southeast Asian lawyers. “The extrajudicial tag that has been placed on me is simply not true. “I never, never, never ordered any single policeman in this country to say, just kill them without any reason.” Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the European Union have all criticized the controversial leader for previous statements that appear to suggest the opposite. Here is a selection of quotes from Duterte on killing:
March 16, 2016
“When I become president, I’ll order the police and the military to find these people and kill them.” Then-presidential
candidate Duterte outlines plans to eradicate drugs in the Philippines by killing so many dealers it will unleash a boom for funeral businesses.
June 30, 2016
“If you know of any addicts, go ahead and kill them yourself as getting their parents to do it would be too painful.” Hours after being sworn in as Philippine president, Duterte goes to a Manila slum and urges residents to kill drug-addled neighbors.
August 6, 2016
“This campaign (of) shoot-to-kill will remain until the last day of my term. I don’t care about human rights, believe me.” As the death toll from his drug war nears 1,000, Duterte vows no let up.
September 30, 2016
“I’d be happy to slaughter them.” Duterte says there are three million drug addicts in the Philippines, and he’d like them all dead.
December, 12, 2016
“I used to do it personally just to show to the guys that if I can do it, so can you.” Duterte boasts that as mayor of the southern city of Davao, he has killed suspects to serve as an example to his police officers.
October 27, 2017
“Forget what they say, those human rights (activists). The problem with these pests, they invite (UN) human rights commission and all, only to show the statistics: here, 10,000 died. What the hell? For me, they can add to that, make it 50,000.” In a speech that started with his insisting he did not tolerate extrajudicial killings, Duterte apparently switches tack. —AFP