MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte should abandon his deadly war on drugs that has been a failure and a dent on the country’s international image, Vice President Leni Robredo said.
“We ask ourselves, ‘Why is this still happening?’ The President has already made very serious threats to drug syndicates, to drug lords … and yet it’s still very prevalent, so obviously, it’s not working,” Robredo stressed Wednesday in an interview with Reuters.
According to Robredo, the President should allow the United Nations (UN) to investigate his war on drugs, which has overwhelmingly targeted the poor rather than big drugs networks.
“We have seen a lot of police that have abused their powers and not been penalized so this is where the International Criminal Court could come in, if we do not show the world that we can take care of our own mess,” she said.
Robredo further said: “The lives of our people are on the line and the dignity of our country is on the line, but my first call is for our government to take care of the mess.”
The UN Human Right Commission (UNHRC) adopted the Iceland resolution last July for an international investigation into the spate of killings and human rights violations in the country due to President Duterte’s “war on drugs.”
Eighteen countries have voted for the approval of the resolution during the 41st session of UNHRC in Geneva. Fourteen opposed it and 15 countries abstained.
The 18 countries who voted to adopt the Iceland-led resolution were Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Fiji, Iceland, Italy, Mexico, Peru, Slovakia, Spain, Ukraine, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and Uruguay./PN
