THE United Nations special rapporteur on summary executions, Agnes Callamard, has specified several conditions before she visits the Philippines to probe the rise in drug-related killings, but has not responded to President Rodrigo Duterte’s challenge to a public debate.
Foreign Affairs Department spokesman Charles Jose confirmed that Callamard has already responded to an invitation from the Philippine government, and that an inter-agency group is set to study her conditions.
In her letter, Callamard set at least nine conditions before her team would fly to the Philippines and start the investigation, Jose said.
Most of the conditions were related to free movement, security and non-reprisal, Jose added.
Callamard had also requested that the Philippines extend an invitation as well to the UN special rapporteur on health.
She also asked for facilitation of transport, particularly in restricted areas, and access to all prisons, detention centers and places of interrogation.
Callamard also wanted an assurance by the government that persons, whether officials or private individuals who have been in contact with her will not, as a result, suffer threats or punishment or be subjected to judicial proceedings.
Lastly, she asked for appropriate security arrangements without restricting the freedom of movement or inquiry.
The UN rapporteur did not mention Duterte’s specific condition of a public debate between the two of them.
In a previous press conference, Jose said that the UN rapporteurs would have to secure approval from the Philippine government before beginning their investigation here.
“The government also needs to approve those victims or the victims’ family of extrajudicial killing before they can interview them. They need to ask permission from the government first,” he said.
Jose said there would be no visit from the rapporteurs until both sides have agreed on terms of reference, including the dates of the visit, the places to be visited, and the people whom the investigators will interview.
“No visit will take place until the TOR has been agreed upin by both sides,” he said.
The interagency body, he said, was set up by the Presidential Human Rights Committee-Secretariat, which is headed by Malacañang’s executive secretary Salvador Medialdea.
In August, Callamard and the UN rapporteur on the right on health Dainius PÅ«ras urged Duterte to put an end to the current wave of extrajudicial executions and killings of the alleged drug users and pushers.
“We call on the Philippine authorities to adopt with immediate effect the necessary measures to protect all persons from targeted killings and extrajudicial executions,” Callamard said.
But Duterte slammed the call of the two rapporteurs and threatened that the Philippines will pull out from the UN, but later he said it was only a joke.
The death toll in the government’s war on illegal drugs has risen since June to more than 4,000.
