Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay clarified on Friday that the Philippines’ invitation to United Nations Special Rapporteur Agnes Callamard to probe alleged extrajudicial killings in the country still stands, despite her rejection of the government’s three conditions.
“So the question of whether or not she could comply with this decision… these conditions is her own decision. If she cannot comply with it, then that’s the end of it,” Yasay said,
The administration set three conditions before allowing the UN investigation on supposed extrajudicial killings in the country. One, Callamard must have a public debate with President Rodrigo Duterte before the media. Two, Duterte is allowed to ask her questions. Three, she has to take an oath.
Speaking exclusively to CNN Philippines anchor Amelyn Veloso on Friday, Callamard said she cannot abide by the three conditions. She said it is not consistent with the code of conduct for special rapporteurs. The French woman was appointed UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions last August 1.
Yasay reiterated that Callamard needs to comply with the conditions of President Duterte. “If you’d like to come to the Philippines and verify the findings that you have made on the basis of the conclusions, already you have reached, come to the Philippines and comply with the conditions of President. Now it is all up to you whether or not to comply with these conditions,” he indirectly told Callamard.
Callamard told CNN Philippines the results of the investigation should be highly confidential.
“I cannot build trust, including with the police or with the government, if there is a threat of public debate at the end of the mission,” Callamard said.
Yasay believes that Callamard has “already made” conclusions on the Philippines, because of her concern for confidentiality in her investigation.
“If she’s really concerned about confidentiality, well she already immediately announced her findings without even investigating first. So it is so hypocritical for her to say now that she’d like to come to the Philippines and investigate and preserved the confidentiality that she needs in arriving at the conclusions, when she in fact already made the conclusions and was not very confidential in announcing the conclusions.”
Yasay said Callamard “must apologize for the arbitrary findings that she has made. She must withdraw the findings immediately and admit in public before the international community because it has unfairly damaged the country that this conclusion that she arrived at was not verified at all.”
