‘Not politicizing’: Amnesty says it’s ‘more than qualified’ to demand accountability from gov’t
MANILA, Philippines — Amnesty International said it has every right to demand accountability from the Philippine government for the killings of thousands in the anti-drug campaign initiated by President Rodrigo Duterte.
Amnesty International Philippines made the statement Tuesday after presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo accused the human rights watchdog of “always politicizing the so-called extrajudicial killings in the country.”
In its new report released Monday, Amnesty alleged that Duterte’s narcotics crackdown has become a “systematic” campaign of abuses. It also called on the UN Human Rights Council to open an independent inquiry to “put an end to these crimes and to provide justice and reparations for countless families and victims.”
Panelo said these international groups should not meddle in the affairs of the country as the Philippines has its own human rights bodies that would assist families of victims. Amnesty has an office in the Philippines.
Butch Olano, section director of Amnesty International Philippines, said the rights group is “more than qualified to demand accountability from this government” as a “major stakeholder on the issue of human rights in the country.”
“We cannot expect poor families, whose relatives are victims of extrajudicial executions, to file cases in court to get justice. We all know that they lack the means to do so, but what’s more concerning is their fear of police reprisals. These people are worried about their safety thus, it is extremely difficult for them to come forward,” Olano said.
He stressed that Amnesty has no political agenda as a non-partisan organization.
“Accusing Amnesty International of politicizing the issue of extrajudicial executions is just another way of muddling the Duterte administration’s accountability and its complicity on the gravity of this problem,” Olano said.
He also said that Panelo should “at least do his homework first by reading our report” before making a response.
- Latest
- Trending
