Terrorism-accused UN expert: Duterte wages new war, with ‘new targets’
MANILA, Philippines — As he leads a bloody war on drugs that has left scores dead, President Rodrigo Duterte has started a new battle, with “new targets,” a Filipina United Nations expert whom the government accused of terrorism said. In a petition filed in a Manila court last month, the Department of Justice said it wants 600 people tagged as terrorists for their alleged links to the Communist Party of the Philippines and its armed wing, the New People’s Army. The petition included UN special rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, who had condemned alleged rights abuses in the restive southern island of Mindanao where troops are fighting an Islamic insurgency and Maoist rebels. The state’s move was strongly criticized by human rights watchdogs, with some describing the court petition as a “virtual hit list.” In an opinion piece published on the Financial Times, dated March 29, Corpuz said those accused by the government of terrorism have bec