UN rights chief warns Duterte vs encouraging violence, bounty offers

MANILA, Philippines — Incitement to violence and offer of bounties for the killing of suspected criminals are outdated steps and are prohibited under conventions the Philippines has signed, the United Nations' human rights body reminded incoming President Rodrigo Duterte.

High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said in a global update released Tuesday that Duterte can reconsider initiatives that tend to violence and violate international law.

"I remind the incoming President of the Philippines that international law, which is binding on his administration, requires him to protect the rights of all his people, including journalists, civil society activists and human rights defenders who expose malfeasance," Zeid said.

Duterte's camp last week, responding to a statement of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon against the president-elect's apparent endorsement of extrajudicial killings, insisted that the leader was misunderstood. Duterte's spokesperson, Salvador Panelo, said Ban's statement was based on misleading reports.

Still, Zeid echoed Ban's stance and defended the journalism profession, noting which crimes are defined under international convention.

"Criticism of people in power is not a crime. However, incitement to violence, and extrajudicial assassination, are crimes and are prohibited under multiple conventions to which the Philippines has acceeded," he said.

Zeid also took a shot at Duterte's proposal to offer bounties for vigilantes to murder suspected crooks and Duterte's "encouragement of extrajudicial killings by security forces."

"[These are] massive and damaging steps backwards which could lead to widespread violence and chaos," Zeid said.

The human rights official, who was appointed president of the UN Security Council in 2014, also expressed disapproval of plans to reinstate capital punishment in the Philippines.

"I urge the Government to reconsider such initiatives, and to refrain from its plans to reintroduce the death penalty, in a country which has been a leading force in the campaign to end the practise," Zeid said.