Duterte committed murder UN Human Rights Chief Said

MANILA, Philippines - The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said on Tuesday at the United Nations that the Philippine authorities should  investigate President Rodrigo Duterte for murder after he claimed to have killed people in the past and also to examine the "appalling epidemic of extra-judicial killings" committed during his anti-drug crackdown.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said that the Philippine judicial authorities "must demonstrate their commitment to upholding the rule of law and their independence from the executive by launching a murder investigation,", adding it's "unthinkable for any functioning judicial system not to launch investigative and judicial proceedings when someone has openly admitted being a killer."

Zeid's call, made in a statement issued in Geneva, was sparked by Duterte's remarks in recent speeches that as a town mayor in southern Davao city in 1988, he killed three suspected kidnappers in a firefight where he was backed up by three police officers. He later clarified he was unsure whether the bullets from his M16 rifle killed the suspects.

Duterte also admitted on December 14 that he led by example to the police and joined them in operations and personally patrolling the streets to personally kill criminals when he was a Davao mayor. 

“In Davao I used to do it personally. Just to show to the guys that, if I can do it, why can’t you? And I go around in Davao with a motorcycle, with a big bike around and I would just patrol the streets and looking for trouble also," Duterte said.

"Talagang naghanap ako ng engkwentro para makapatay," he added during the Wallace Business Forum in Malacañang.

In a news conference after midnight on Saturday, Duterte said that he killed three kidnappers during a police operation.

In his state visit in Cambodia, Duterte also said he might have shot a criminal

Duterte's acts "directly contravene the rights" enshrined in the Philippine Constitution and the killings recalled by the president "also violate international law," Zeid said. The UN official also said Duterte's encouragement of others may constitute incitement to violence and expressed concern about Duterte's assurances that police officers who commit human rights violations would be immune from prosecution.

"The perpetrators must be brought to justice, sending a strong message that violence, killings and human rights violations will not be tolerated by the state and that no one is above the law," he said.

.