‘Wag si Roque! NUPL urges ILC to consider picking other Pinoy abogados

There are other Filipino lawyers who are more knowledgeable than Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque and will be better suited for the International Law Commission.

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The Concerned Online Citizens Philippines, composed mostly of petitioners who opposed the Anti-Terrorism Law before the Supreme Court (SC), pointed this out in a letter ILC dated Sept. 16.

“The Philippines has many lawyers specializing in human rights, public interest law, international humanitarian law and international law who are more knowledgeable and more qualified than Mr. Roque to be a member of the ILC,” said the group.

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“Unfortunately, they are all busy defending journalists, activists, widows, orphans, dissenters, peace negotiators and their own lives from the wrath of President Rodrigo Duterte and his presidential spokesperson Mr. Roque,” it lamented.

The group cited that the 65 lawyers slain under the watch of the Duterte administration were “arguably more qualified than Mr. Roque.

“They brilliantly and courageously practiced human rights and international law; Mr. Duterte and Mr. Roque violate and tamper with those laws,” the group declared.

The Concerned Online Citizens Philippines recounted that since his appointment as Presidential spokesperson “Mr. Roque has publicly spoken against freedom of expression, press freedom, due process and other fundamental rights guaranteed by the Philippine Constitution and international laws.”

“Mr. Roque has been an avowed and unapologetic defender of extrajudicial killings that have been brought before the International Criminal Court. He gaslights victims and families of extrajudicial killings with regularity and with relish,” the group said.

“Mr. Roque has transmogrified from a former champion of the ICC into an attack dog against the ICC and cheerleader of Mr. Duterte’s decision to withdraw the Philippines from the ICC to evade being held to account for extrajudicial killings,” it added.

The group said Roque is also “a leading purveyor of disinformation and misinformation in the Philippines in his official capacity and in his own social media accounts.”

“When Mr. Duterte and Mr. Roque finally leave office, they would most certainly be held accountable for their offenses and crimes against Philippine and international law. We don’t want to see Mr. Roque use the ILC as a platform to promote and defend himself and his principal in future litigation,” the group declared.

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Source: Latest Politics News Today (Politics.com.ph)