MANILA, Philippines – Binatikos ni Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David si Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano matapos nitong ipagtanggol ang war on drugs ng administrasyon ni dating pangulong Rodrigo Duterte bilang isang “human rights” at “pro-life” campaign.
Ayon sa ulat ng Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines News, tumutugon si David sa social media post ni Cayetano noong Sabado kung saan sinabi ng Senate President na para sa mga tagasuporta nito, lehitimong hakbang ang anti-drug campaign upang protektahan ang mga komunidad.
“I wonder if he can say this straight to the faces of the thousands of women widowed and children orphaned when their loved ones — on mere suspicion of drug involvement, and without benefit of due process — were murdered in cold blood,” ani David.
“Countless victims were not simply shot. They were abducted, tortured, then dropped dead in the streets, their heads wrapped in plastic bags, sealed with packaging tape around their necks — left to struggle for their last gasp of oxygen until they breathed no more,” dagdag niya.
Iginiit din ng cardinal na may kaakibat na pananagutan sa ilalim ng international law ang mga pahayag na nagbibigay-katwiran sa extrajudicial killings.
“Mr. Cayetano should know that under international law, public statements that frame extrajudicial killings as “pro-life” — that rehabilitate and legitimize a campaign of murder — do not enjoy the protection of free speech,” ani David.
“They can constitute “instigation” or “aiding and abetting” crimes against humanity under Article 25 of the Rome Statute, when such words provide moral support that emboldens perpetrators and grants them a sense of impunity,” dagdag pa niya.
Ayon kay David, may pananagutan ang mga salita lalo na sa ilalim ng international criminal law.
“Words have consequences. Words have victims. And in international criminal law, words have accountability,” aniya. RNT
