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MANILA, Philippines – Relatives of people who died in the Duterte administration’s war on illegal drugs have expressed their dissatisfaction with the decision of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to deviate from investigating the human rights situation in the country.
According to Rise Up, a group of people whose family members were killed in alleged extrajudicial killings (EJK), the HRC resolution calling for “technical assistance and capacity building” for the Philippines’ human rights efforts, rather than an Investigation Full-fledged Drug War: You can reduce the chances of uncovering abuses in the government’s brutal anti-crime campaign.
Llore Benedicto, a member of Rise Up, whose two sons were killed during alleged anti-drug operations, said Thursday that they are still awaiting an investigation into rights violations committed in the name of the war on drugs.
“This latest resolution and session of the HRC is a disappointment. We still need and hope to have an independent investigation, so that the truth about the murders of our loved ones will come to light. One way to move forward is to go to different countries, so that our stories are heard. We need help from the international community to stop the killings, ”Benedict said in a statement.
“We call on the International Criminal Court and the United Nations and other formations and international organizations to help us expose the truth so that the murders end, so that no more families experience the sadness and unbearable hardships that we have,” he added . .
The HRC resolution approved on Wednesday (Manila time) also urges High Commissioner Michelle Bachelet to “provide support to the country in its continued compliance with its international human rights obligations and commitments,” as well as to member states and relevant agencies. of the UN to “encourage and support technical cooperation between the Philippine government and OHCHR.”
The resolution was adopted by consensus (without a vote) during the 45th session of the council in Geneva, Switzerland.
This contradicts expectations that the UNHRC will pass a resolution that will require further scrutiny or an investigation of alleged rights violations in the country.
Local and foreign rights groups said that if an independent body like the HRC is not part of any investigation into abuses, the chances of prosecuting officials who may be responsible for violations are reduced.
READ: Mere UN technical help won’t stop PH’s drug war abuses and killings: groups
Benedict echoed the sentiments of these groups, which also raised questions about an investigation into the war on drugs by the Philippine government.
“In the report of the United Nations High Commissioner, Michelle Bachelet, there is a clear condemnation of human rights violations here in the Philippines. Most Filipinos, especially the poor, feel and continue to feel these abuses. However, yesterday a strong action was not reflected in the resolution of the HRC, “he said.
“To be honest, we lack confidence in the government and its agencies (for example, the Interagency Task Force of the Department of Justice Investigation Team), because they have been implicated in such human rights violations,” he added.
READ: The member states of the HRC are alarmed by the murders in the war on drugs; PH rejects claims of impunity
President Rodrigo Duterte and his anti-drug campaign have been a magnet for controversy, as the campaign was called brutal and bloody amid reports of torture and deaths. The war on drugs was also clouded by accusations that state forces, particularly police officers, were involved in so-called extrajudicial killings (EJK).
But during his speech Monday night, Duterte said he was also upset by the EJK conversations that led him to call for a “low-key” investigation, which was questioned by several groups.
KGA
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