Groups hit Duterte’s derogatory insults vs UN’s Callamard, ICC’s Bensouda

MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte’s derogatory and racist comments about United Nations special rapporteur on extrajudicial killings Agnes Callamard and International Criminal Court chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda did not sit well with women and human rights groups.

In a speech delivered on the eve of International Women’s Day, Duterte described Callamard and Bensouda as “undernourished” and “black,” respectively.

READ: Duterte hits ‘that black woman’ and the ‘undernourished’ one

“Mahabol nila, eh, pagka ngayon magkasalubong kami, ah lalo ‘yung mga abogado nila, ‘yung itim (Bensouda) pati ‘yung isa ‘yung payat, si Callamard, undernourished, walang kain,” Duterte said, noting that the bodies do not have jurisdiction over the reported human rights violations during his rule.

“Don’t f*** with me, girls,” the president, who has been accused of being among the worst violators of women’s rights, added.

READ: Fact check: Does the ICC have jurisdiction over Duterte?

Karapatan secretary general Cristina Palabay said that Duterte’s latest insults against the two “has set new lows in dealing with legitimate criticism versus his administration.”

Amnesty International Philippines also condemned the remarks of the chief executive, saying these insults are attacks against all women, including his supporters.

“It is unworthy and unbecoming of a Head of State. Duterte, instead of skirting the issue of human rights violations, must cooperate with the UN and the ICC with regards to the preliminary examination on the charges of crimes against humanity due to his war on drugs,” AI Philippines said.

For her part, Gabriela secretary general Joms Salvador called Duterte’s insults against Callamard and Bensouda “impertinent” and “disrespectful.”

“His penchant for ridiculing women is but a cheap and obvious ploy to divert public attention from the real issues confronting his presidency—wanton human rights violations, his scheme of establishing a dictatorship and his sellout of the country’s patrimony,” Gabriela told Philstar.com in a text message.

Tanggol Bayi, a group of women rights defenders in the country, denounced Duterte for calling Bensouda a “black woman,” saying the president used it in a “derogatory sense reminiscent of an era where racial discrimination is considered a norm.”

It also hit Duterte for describing Callamard as “undernourished.” “[He used] a real medical and societal problem to insult and demean, even when he himself cannot solve chronic malnutrition in the country.”

The government maintained that any inquiry into the alleged extrajudicial killings in the country should not be led by Callamard, who has earned the administration’s ire for criticizing the government’s war on the drugs.

The ICC, led by Bensouda, on the other hand, started a preliminary examination into the alleged crimes against humanity committed by the Duterte administration.