Duterte eyes death penalty for retribution

INCOMING Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte yesterday hit out at “stupid” human rights campaigners, as he defended his imminent war on crime and emphasised the death penalty was for retribution.

Duterte gave a speech in his southern hometown of Davao to outline his vision for the nation once he takes office on Thursday, with a heavy focus on his controversial plans to fight crime.

“These human rights [groups], congressmen, how stupid you are,” Duterte said, as he highlighted their criticism of his plans to impose late-night curfews on children being on the streets and to reintroduce the death penalty. “I believe in retribution.Why?You should pay. When you kill someone, rape, you should die.”

Duterte, 71, won last month’s presidential elections in a landslide after campaigning largely on a platform of ending rampant crime, warning that the Philippines was in danger of becoming a narco-state. He promised that tens of thousands of people would die, with security forces being given shoot to kill orders.

Since winning, Duterte has also promised to give bounties to police for killing drug dealers, and also encouraged ordinary citizens to kill or arrest suspects.

Local and foreign human rights groups have expressed deep concern about his plans as president, fearing an explosion of extrajudicial killings similar to those seen in Davao. With just three days before assuming the presidency, Duterte stood firm.

“When they describe or characterise a human rights violator, t hese fools make it appear that the people you kill are saints, as if they are pitiful or innocent,” he said.

Duterte said that European ambassadors were also among those who had expressed concern over the death penalty and extrajudicial killings.