Philippines' Duterte, who once likened himself to Hitler, offers to host global human rights summit
The firebrand leader has often faced criticism for his violent war on drugs.
Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte, who once likened himself to Hitler to support his war on drug pedlars, has now offered to host a global human rights summit in his country. The firebrand leader has often faced criticism for his violent war on drugs and numerous extra judicial deaths allegedly meted out by his security forces.
Speaking in Vietnam on Thursday (9 November) at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting, Duterte said: "We should call a summit. And I will volunteer to make the Philippines the venue." He stressed that the focus of the conference should not just be the prevailing situation in the Philippines alone but across the world.
"What makes the death of people in the Philippines more important than the rest of the children in the world that were massacred and killed," said Duterte.
"World summit on human rights. And all the victims of human rights violation are invited to come and air their gripe or grievances."
As many as 7,000 people are thought to have been killed in the Philippines since Duterte launched the notorious "drug war" against the illegal narcotics trade.
Many of them are suspected of being murdered by vigilante groups or through extrajudicial killings, leaving rights groups fuming.
Yet, Duterte has shown no hesitation in hitting back at criticism of his administration regarding the alleged human rights abuse.
Once, he even compared himself to Nazi Germany's Adolf Hitler while promising to slaughter drug convicts just as the German dictator persecuted Jews.
"Hitler massacred three million Jews. Now, there are three million drug addicts ... I'd be happy to slaughter them," he said previously. However, he later apologised for the statement.
"I apologise profoundly and deeply to the Jewish community. It was never my intention, but the problem was I was criticised, using Hitler comparing to me," said Duterte after he faced a barrage of condemnation for his original statement.
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