President Rodrigo Duterte has repeatedly and publicly criticized the United States, specifically on the killing of unarmed black people by police.
During a press conference on Sunday, Duterte suggested that his country should “separate from the United Nations,” because the U.N. “could not control America” or Russia and because the international body could not stop the killing of people in places like Syria.
“Why are you Americans killing black people there, shooting them down when they are already on the ground? Answer that question,” he demanded. “Because even if it’s only one or two or three it’s still human rights violation, goddamn – you tell that to that American there.”
The press conference took place after two United Nations human rights experts criticized Duterte for his hardline drug campaign in which hundreds of people have died in extrajudicial killings of drug suspects since he was elected last May.
Mark Toner, a State Department spokesman, said that Duterte was known as a “plain speaking” politicians but said that “with regard to us looking or turning a blind eye to human rights abuses or possible human rights abuses in the Philippines, I can assure you that that’s not the case.”