Duterte to US: What have you done to counter African-American killings?

Photo by Inquirer

If  the US is concerned about extrajudicial killings the Philippines, the latter too is concerned about the killings of African-American people happening in US soil.

 After the US government issued a statement expressing concern about the human rights situation in the country, the president gave a reply:

“The Philippine government is also worried about what’s being done to the black people in America, being shot while lying down. I’m going to send my rapporteur also and investigate them.”

There have been numerous reports of African-Americans being killed on fraudulent charges. Duterte said these were innocent victims of the “’hatred sown by their governor.”

In a press briefing in Washington on Monday, deputy spokesperson of the US Department of State, Mark C. Toner, said the United States strongly believed in the rule of law.

He said that when US Secretary of State John Kerry met with Duterte last month, the message was made clear.

“We take any credible allegations of human rights violations very, very seriously,” Toner said.

“We’re very concerned―deeply concerned, I would say―about reports of extrajudicial killings of individuals suspected to have been involved in drug activity in the Philippines,” he added.

In an interview with reporters, Duterte urged the UN rapporteurs who were critical of his war on drugs to visit the country and tell the Filipinos what they have done to counter black killings in the United States.

“Why just pay attention to the Philippines? How many blacks died in America?” he said.

On Tuesday, Mr. Duterte indicated that his threat to take the country out of the United Nations was a joke. He said the United Nations should behave “the way [it] should behave.”

Duterte said that he refuses to listen to any comment on his war on drugs from a UN official or agency and insists that only the head of the UN should get in touch with the Philippine government.

Despite its concerns, Toner claims that te United States is still committed to strengthening its relations with PH.

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