UN expert Callamard on critics, bashers: ‘I’m used to it’

United Nations Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, arbitrary and summary killings Agnes Callamard on Saturday brushed off criticisms, including those from Malacañang and her so-called bashers, against her “academic visit” to the Philippines.

Callamard, however, lamented how public attention seemed to have shifted toward the legitimacy of her trip instead of its purpose, which is to share insights on human rights.

“I'm used to it [bashers and critics]. It's a pity because the purpose of the forum is to open avenues of dialogue. It's to provide expertise that you've heard in the last two days, not so much mind but professor Carl Hart, professor [John] Collins, Pascual Tanguay all of them have incredible amount of expertise to share. And that should be the real focus not me,” Callamard told reporters during the second day of a policy forum held at the University of the Philippines–Diliman in Quezon City.

“The real focus is what are the lessons to be learned from the rest of the world. What can the Philippine government, the Philippine stakeholders can take from those experiences to build an effective response to the drug abuse in the country, which is real but also in order to stop the killings. That's the real story, it's the expert and the expertise,” she added.

The forum was organized by the Free Legal Assistance Group, with the help of UP and other partners.

Callamard insisted that there is an alternative approach to the war on drugs.

“I mean, we all are here in a spirit of dialogue. We are here in a spirit of opening avenues of communications and sharing informations. I have been repeatedly told that you don’t have an alternative,” she said.

“Of course, we have [an] alternative. This is what the policy forum is all about. It's about presenting options, presenting the alternative for the Filipino society, the Filipino people, the Filipino government, to listen and to build upon,” she added.

She then stood by her earlier statement that the Philippine government has been informed of her “academic visit.”

“I've informed [the Philippine government] about my visit...absolutely. The statement is correct,” Callamard said.

“I didn't come for an investigation... From the presentation and from the expert I’ve just learned what I thought was the case... which is there are alternatives to the current policies. There are alternatives that are based on a holistic approach, on a balanced approach which involves the health, which involves justice, which involves policing,” she added.

Callamard was invited several months ago by the Philippine government to probe alleged extrajudicial killings. However, Duterte has set several conditions on the visit, among which was a public debate.

She then countered that the condition violated their Code of Conduct and terms of reference for country visits.

Callamard is in the Philippines for an "academic visit” as she was invited by the FLAG Anti Death Penalty Task Force for a two-day policy forum on the anti-illegal drugs campaign of the Duterte administration.

She said that she would be in the country until Monday, May 8.

The two-day forum was held at GT-Toyota Asian Center Auditorium in Diliman, Quezon City. — MDM, GMA News