UN’s human rights chief has asked Philippine authorities to investigate President Rodrigo Duterte for murder after he claimed to have killed people while he was a regional mayor. Philippine judicial authorities “must demonstrate their commitment to upholding the rule of law and their independence from the executive by launching a murder investigation”, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Prince Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, said. Prince Zeid’s call was sparked by Duterte’s remarks that as a town mayor in southern Davao city in 1988, he killed three suspected kidnappers in a firefight. He later clarified he was unsure whether the bullets killed the suspects. Zeid added that he had asked authorities to also examine the “appalling epidemic of extra-judicial killings” committed during Duterte’s anti-drug crackdown.

The Philippines said Wednesday that President Rodrigo Duterte’s killing of three people in the 1980s was part of a police operation, after the UN rights chief urged Manila to investigate him for murder. UN rights chief Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein said Tuesday that Duterte’s killings, by his own admission, “clearly constitute murder” and Philippine judicial authorities must launch a murder investigation. Duterte spokesman Ernesto Abella said Wednesday Zeid’s comments were nothing more than “his [Zeid’s] opinion”. The incident referred to by the president was actually covered by media and it was a “legitimate police action,” Abella added.