French paper calls Duterte a ‘serial killer president’
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MANILA - A FRENCH newspaper has named President Rodrigo Duterte a “serial killer president” in the wake of the rising body count in the government’s deadly war on drugs.
Duterte landed on the front page of France’s Liberation daily, which featured the Philippine government’s relentless anti-drug drive in its four-page story.
The article also touched on Duterte’s expletive-laced statements against US President Barack Obama and Pope Francis and his controversial remarks that drew parallels with Adolf Hitler’s killing of Jews and the war on drugs.
In a radio interview on Sunday morning, Philippine Interior Secretary Mike Sueno said the “serial killer” tag against Duterte was “very unfair”, “If President Duterte doesn’t do this, we will become a narco-state. In our point of view, there are no extrajudicial killings here because most of those who die are those who fight the police,” Sueno told radio DZMM.
Liberation was among the latest foreign media outlets that reported on the Duterte administration’s anti-narcotics campaign, which continued to draw international attention amid criticisms of the suspected extrajudicial killings and human rights abuses.
International publications, such as The Guardian, Time, The New York Times and the Washington Post had earlier featured different aspects of the war on drugs.
Duterte and his men have repeatedly criticised the foreign media for supposedly spinning his statements.
As of Friday, the Inquirer’s “Kill List” reported 1,234 drug-related deaths since June 30, when Duterte assumed office.
- PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER
ASIA NEWS NETWORK
