GENEVA: The UN hum­an rights chief said on Fri­day that Philippine Presi­dent Rodrigo Duterte, who has launched profanity-lac­­ed diatribes against United Nations rapporteurs, needs “psychiatric evaluation”.

Listing some of Manila’s actions against UN envoys, including filing terrorism charges against one, rights chief Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein said “it makes one believe that the president of the Philippines needs to submit himself to some sort of psychiatric evaluation”.

Zeid and other UN rights officials have focused significant attention on Dute­rte’s controversial drug war.

Police have killed more than 4,100 drug suspects since Duterte took office in 2016, but rights groups allege more than 8,000 others have been murdered in what they describe as crimes against humanity.

The UN special rapporteur on extra-judicial killings, Agnes Callamard, has become a particular Duter­­te target over her criticism of his campaign to stamp out illegal drugs.

Earlier this month, Duterte vowed he would never cooperate with UN investigators looking into extrajudicial killings.

“When the human rights or whoever is that rapporteur arrives, my order to you is, do not answer ...

“You’re investigating us, fact-finding? Well sorry, do not fuck with me,” the president said, referring to Callamard.

Speaking to reporters on Friday, Zeid said it was “absolutely disgraceful that the president of a country could speak in this way, using the foulest of language against a rapporteur that is highly respected.” Manila hit back against Zeid’s suggestion that the president may be mentally unwell, calling his remarks an “unmeasured outburst.”

“The comments of the High Commissioner bring great dishonour to the Hu­­man Rights Council and its noble endeavours”, Philip­­pine foreign minister Alan Peter Cayetano said in a statement.

Published in Dawn, March 10th, 2018