March 24, 2025
Migrante Canada strongly condemns the attempts to seek asylum abroad of many of Duterte's accomplices in perpetuating crimes against humanity and for violating thousands and thousands of Filipino people's human rights and dignity. Following the recent arrest of former president Rodrigo Duterte by the ICC for his crimes against humanity, former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque announced that he will file for an asylum in the Netherlands. This is an insult not only to the Philippine justice system, to the Dutch government's commitment to universal human rights, but more importantly to all the 30,000+ victims and their families. As Duterte's spokesperson, he is complicit in the perpetuation of Duterte's phony "war on drugs" and other fascist policies.
We see Roque's move to seek asylum in The Netherlands as an evasion of the law and due process and an utter disrespect to human rights. This also shows Roque and Duterte's legal team's contradicting argument that Duterte should be tried in the Philippines under the jurisdiction of the Philippine justice system. If Roque truly believes in their own claim that the justice system in the Philippines can deliver justice and can uphold "due process" why would he seek for an asylum abroad? His announcement of seeking asylum is an evasion of accountability in his role in the proliferation of POGOs in the Philippines and in Duterte's fascist and brutal crimes and policies.
Similarly, here in Canada, former Philippine National Police officer Josue Limmong Ahuday came to Canada and applied for permanent residency. His application, however, was rejected based on his "complicity" to the war crimes and human rights violations perpetuated during Duterte's regime. Recently, National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict agent Jeffrey Celiz also came to Canada to continue his fascist attacks of red tagging to progressive Filipino organizations and allies based in Canada.
Migrante Canada echoes the call to the Dutch government to immediately reject Roque's application. Similarly, we continue to call on the Canadian government for an urgent request to deny human rights violators an entry to Canada.
Asylums are for displaced people facing extreme threats and violations of their rights from their home countries. Roque, Ahuday, and Celiz are the ones that forced and continue to force many Filipinos to seek asylums abroad. Their aggressive attacks on people's right to life, freedom of speech and assembly, and human rights are clear indication that they are no victims but are the perpetrators themselves trying to bypass both the Philippine justice system and the international law in facing the consequences of their actions.
Hold Duterte and his accomplices accountable for the 30,000+ deaths, and hundreds of thousands more of human rights violations during his term that is currently not filed or not within the scope of the ICC!
Duterte Panagutin! Convict Rodrigo Duterte Now!
For reference:
Danilo de Leon, Chair, Migrante Canada
Chris Sorio, Secretary-General, Migrante Canada
www.migrante.ca | @migrantecanada (Twitter | Facebook |Instagram)
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