Karapatan wants PH out of UN Human Rights Council

The government’s constant denial of the Philippines’ issues on human rights violation should be viewed as a ground for the country to be removed in the United Nation Human Rights Council, rights group Karapatan said on Monday.

According to Karapatan Secretary General Cristina Palabay, the country does not deserve to hold the vice presidency of the Human Rights Council’s Bureau, let alone be part of the group.

“The Philippine government responds to domestic and international criticism on its human rights violations with thuggish hubris, blatant denial of its crimes and utmost disregard of international human rights instruments and international humanitarian law. It is ironic, if not laughable, that the Philippine government even holds the vice presidency of the Human Rights Council’s Bureau,” Karapatan said.

Aside from wanting the Philippine to be excluded in the human rights body, Karapatan insisted that another appropriate move would be to place the country under the investigation of UN international fact-finding mission and commission.

“With the Duterte administration’s stubborn refusal to acknowledge its accountability on the numerous killings as a result of its war on drugs and its attacks on human rights defenders and civilians as a consequence of counterinsurgency program Oplan Kapayapaan and martial law in Mindanao, international actions such as the removal of the Philippines at the UN Human Rights Council and the initiation of a UN international fact-finding mission and commission on inquiry are in order,” it said.