Duterte’s remarks can be used against him – CHR
The pronouncements made by President Duterte in relation to the alleged extrajudicial killings in the conduct of the government’s war against illegal drugs may be used against him in case a complaint is filed before the International Criminal Court (ICC), Commission on Human Rights (CHR) chairman Chito Gascon said.
“Words matter. And in the context of national policy, the words of the Chief Executive and commander-in-chief bear great weight,” Gascon said in an interview with ANC on Tuesday.
“The prosecutors and investigators will look at the relationship between words or statements of decision makers and ultimately the effects on the ground,” he added.
Gascon noted the case of genocide in Rwanda, where even statements of journalists that had contributed to incitement to violence were taken into consideration.
“Responsibility will have to be given to decision makers. The statements made by the President during the campaign and when he assumed the presidency, are alarming… These could be considered as possible incitement to violence,” Gascon said.
While no case has been filed against Duterte before the ICC, various groups have repeatedly warned the government that the rising number of casualties in the war on drugs may be used against the President.
Gascon noted several groups, including the prosecutor of the ICC, are looking closely at the situation in the Philippines.
To prevent such a case from being filed, he said the government must show that it is concerned with deaths and hold the perpetrators accountable.
Gascon called on the Department of Justice (DOJ) to file a case against the lawmen involved in deaths during operations, saying it is for the judge to decide whether the casualties indeed fought back against law enforcers.
“The case of the more than 2,000 ‘nanlaban’ (fought it out) deaths, I think the DOJ must ultimately show that it is concerned about justice and allow the police officers that were involved in these cases to present their evidence about self defense,” Gascon said.
“We need to show that we are concerned about this as a justice issue and ultimately investigate them thoroughly and hold the perpetrators to account,” he added.
CHR commissioner Gwendolyn Pimentel-Gana, head of the task force in charge of investigating the alleged extrajudicial killings, earlier said they have not found evidence that would point that the killings were state-sponsored.
However, Gana later clarified they are not yet ruling out anything as most of the cases are still being investigated. Another commissioner, Roberto Cadiz, explained “state sponsorship” of extrajudicial killings would be difficult to prove. – With Marvin Sy, Evelyn Macairan