The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights is calling on the Philippines to open an investigation into President Rodrigo Duterte's claims that he killed three men while mayor of Davao City in the late 1980s.
The commissioner, Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, is also urging a "credible and independent investigation" into the more than 6,000 deaths related to Duterte's war on drugs, which started when he assumed office in July. Last week, Duterte said that during a police gunfight, he killed three men involved in a kidnapping case, something Zeid said "violates international law, including the right to life, freedom from violence and force, due process and fair trial, equal protection before the law, and innocence until proven guilty." Zeid also said that while Philippine police say they are investigating vigilante killings related to the war on drugs, there is "surprisingly little information on actual prosecutions," adding that the number of murders that have taken place is "shocking."
Duterte's allies in the government say he cannot be investigated for something that happened before he became president, and the only way he can face an inquiry is if he is removed from power.
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