MANILA (Reuters) - Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has told a U.N human rights expert who said the country’s judicial independence was under threat to ‘go to hell’, warning against interference in domestic affairs.

The Philippine Supreme Court voted last month to remove Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, whom Duterte had called an “enemy” for voting against controversial government proposals, citing violations in the way she was appointed.

Her dismissal is sending a chilling message to other supreme court judges and members of the judiciary, Diego García-Sayán, special U.N rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, said on Friday.

“Tell him not to interfere with the affairs of my country. He can go to hell,” Duterte told a news conference late Saturday night, prior to leaving for an official visit to South Korea.

The outspoken Philippine leader is known for defying international pressure and his diatribes against critics.

In particular, he has railed against former U.S. President Barack Obama and U.N. special rapporteur on extrajudicial killings, Agnes Callamard, for criticizing the bloody war on drugs, his signature public safety project.

Sereno, the first chief justice to be removed by her peers, had voted against several of the Duterte’s proposals including the extension of martial rule in the volatile southern Philippines.</s>The fiery populist leader of the Philippines refuses to acknowledge criticism of his leadership style, executive actions.

Rodrigo Duterte is not a man known to mince words or to shelter his true beliefs behind flowery language, a reputation maintained most recently when he made remarks to the press surrounding his removal of chief justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, according to Bloomberg.

Widely criticized by the global community, as have most of his political moves, Duterte’s recent decision to force expulsion via a vote on a petition filed by government Solicitor General Jose Calida is the instigating event of the recent firestorm. The vote, which proceeded in favor of an 8-6 tally, accused chief justice Sereno of failing to file asset disclosures during her tenure as a state university law professor in the past. Sereno disputed the charges.

The move, panned publicly by United Nations human rights expert Diego Garcia-Sayan, as reported by Reuters, brought the ire and rhetorical retribution of President Duterte during a press conference this past weekend. Duterte dismissed the veracity of Garcia-Sayan’s claims and further told him to mind his own business in typical fashion for the populist politician.

“Tell him not to interfere with the affairs of my country. He can go to hell,” Duterte said in an after-hours scrum with the media, “He is not a special person and I do not recognize his rapporteur title.”

The Thursday previous to Duterte’s tirade, Garcia-Sayan had told a group of reporters in Manila that he believed the ouster organized by Duterte was extrajudicial and likely illegal. Beyond that, such a power-hungry move by Duterte is a pattern of behavior that may put the nature of democracy in the Philippines at risk. The accusations almost certainly rattled and angered the President of the Philippines, resulting in Sunday’s backlash.

Garcia-Sayan added that there would be no formal investigation by the United Nations into the firing, although he did send a list of questions to the Duterte administration with a two-month deadline on their fulfillment, hoping that his opponent would see reason. The U.N. specialist on human rights and judicial overwatch added the following in a statement.

President Rodrigo Duterte has been the subject of much international scrutiny not only for his belligerent comments but also for his vicious handling of the addictions and drug trade in his nation. He has squared off against other media critics who have lambasted the President for his heavy-handed approach to drug crime. Duterte has waged a bloody war against alleged drug suspects for traffick and possession of narcotics, leaving thousands dead without seeing a formal trial.

Though protests against Duterte and his regime continue regularly, as Aljazeera reports, taking to the streets and to the pages of newspapers both inside of the national borders and from the global media, the President of the Philippines shows no sign of resigning his iron grip on the levers of power any time in the near future. Beloved by his hardline supporters and detested by dissidents, the controversial world leader has made an indelible mark on history and seems poised to continue his battle to institute his ideology, come what may.</s>President Rodrigo Duterte on Sunday told a United Nations rights expert to “go to hell” over criticism of the Philippine leader for threatening the country’s top judge.

Duterte’s latest profanity-laced diatribe came after Diego Garcia-Sayan, the UN special rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, said the president’s statements against former chief justice Maria Lourdes Sereno were a “vicious attack” on the judiciary.

Sereno’s colleagues voted to remove her from office last month, shortly after Duterte openly called her his “enemy” and demanded her swift ouster.

“Tell him (Garcia-Sayan) not to interfere with the affairs of my country. He can go to hell,” Duterte told reporters in Manila, insisting he had nothing to do with Sereno’s dismissal.

“He is not a special person and I do not recognise his rapporteur title.”

Duterte, 73, has lashed out in the past — often using less-than-parliamentary language — at critics of the deadly drug war he launched soon after coming to power in 2016.

Several of his opponents have since been ousted, punished or threatened.

Police say they have killed 4,279 drug suspects in the anti-narcotics campaign but rights groups believe the actual number is three times higher.

Sereno was one of the few remaining high-profile critics of the crackdown at the time of her ouster.

The UN’s Garcia-Sayan said Friday that Duterte’s public threats against Sereno appeared to have had a “chilling effect” on her colleagues in the judiciary.

“The use of such derogatory language… sends a clear message to all judges of the Philippines: in the so-called ‘war on drugs’, you’re either with me or against me,” Garcia-Sayan said.</s>Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is not known for taking criticism of his government well and Sunday was no exception when he blasted a United Nations human rights expert who had warned about judicial integrity in the country. “Tell him not to interfere with the affairs of my country,” Duterte said when asked about the criticism by Diego García-Sayán, a U.N. special rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers. “He can go to hell.”

Duterte noted that García-Sayán “is not a special person” and the strongman president added that “I do not recognize his rapporteur title.” Duterte’s comments came days after García-Sayán raised alarm with reporters about the ouster of Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno. The Philippine Supreme Court voted last month to oust Sereno from her post after Duterte had called her an “enemy” because she voted against several of the president’s proposals. García-Sayán said Sereno’s ouster sent a chilling message to other members of the judiciary about the dangers of going against Duterte’s wishes.

“For a rapporteur of the U.N. on independence of justice to keep silent when a chief justice in any country in the world, even in my country, would be dismissed in such way is impossible, and it will be immoral to stay silent,” García-Sayán, a former justice and foreign minister of Peru, said. Duterte’s office has insisted that the president had nothing to do with Sereno’s ouster.

This isn’t the first time Duterte has told a foreign official to go to hell. In 2016, Duterte had the same wish for then-President Barack Obama. “Instead of helping us, the first to hit was the State Department. So you can go to hell, Mr Obama, you can go to hell,” Duterte said as he complained that rather than helping the Philippines tackle its drug problem the United States had chosen to criticize the high death toll.</s>Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte, who is well-known for his straightforward behavior, has told a UN Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers and human rights expert Diego García-Sayán to go to hell.

"Tell him not to interfere with the affairs of my country. He can go to hell," Duterte told a news conference late Saturday night, prior to leaving for an official visit to South Korea.

READ MORE: 'I Hope He Considers Me Friend': Philippines' Duterte Calls Kim Jong-un His Idol

The comment followed after García-Sayán said on Friday, that the country's judicial independence was under threat, addressing the Philippine Supreme Court's decision to remove Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno. The Philippines president, who called the judge an "enemy" of the state, responded in his harsh manner.</s>Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte on Saturday objected to a United Nations human rights official’s criticism of the dismissal of the country’s chief justice, Reuters reported. The rights expert “can go to hell”, he said.

In May, the Supreme Court of Philippines had voted to remove Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno on the grounds that she had failed an “integrity test”. She had voted against several proposals by Duterte, for which he had called her an “enemy”. He had also alleged there were violations in the way she was appointed.

Diego García-Sayán, the special UN rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, said on Friday that Sereno’s exit sent a chilling message to other Supreme Court judges and members of the judiciary.

“The decision of the Supreme Court was issued two days after the president of the Philippines publicly threatened the Chief Justice by saying that she was his enemy and that she should be removed from her job or resign,” said García-Sayán.

On Saturday, Duterte said: “Tell him not to interfere with the affairs of my country. He can go to hell.”

Duterte has often been in the news for outspoken comments against global leaders. In 2017, he called the UN human rights chief Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein an “idiot” and a “joker”, and also threatened to set fire to the organisation’s headquarters in New York. Hussein had called for an investigation into the president’s claims that he had personally killed people when he was the mayor of Davao city.

In March, Hussein said that Duterte needed a psychiatric evaluation.

In February, human rights groups also criticised Duterte for reportedly ordering his troops to shoot female rebels in the genitals to leave them “useless”.

The president is also known for making comments that objectify women or normalise rape. In June 2017, he had joked about congratulating anyone who had the courage to rape the Miss Universe. In May 2017, he had told some soldiers that they could rape up to three women. In June 2016, he had wolf-whistled at a journalist on live TV. He had also described a woman who was raped and killed in 1989 as “beautiful”, and said that he should have been her first.</s>Citing dismissal of Chief Justice of Supreme Court, the UN human rights expert said Philippines' judicial independence was under threat.

The outspoken Philippine leader is known for defying international pressure and his diatribes against critics. (Photo: File)

Manila: Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has told a UN human rights expert who said the country's judicial independence was under threat to "go to hell", warning against interference in domestic affairs.

The Philippine Supreme Court voted last month to remove Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, whom Duterte had called an "enemy" for voting against controversial government proposals, citing violations in the way she was appointed.

Her dismissal is sending a chilling message to other supreme court judges and members of the judiciary, Diego Garcia-Sayan, special UN rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, said on Friday.

"Tell him not to interfere with the affairs of my country. He can go to hell," Duterte told a news conference late Saturday night, prior to leaving for an official visit to South Korea.

The outspoken Philippine leader is known for defying international pressure and his diatribes against critics.

In particular, he has railed against former US President Barack Obama and UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial killings, Agnes Callamard, for criticising the bloody war on drugs, his signature public safety project.

Sereno, the first chief justice to be removed by her peers, had voted against several of the Duterte's proposals including the extension of martial rule in the volatile southern Philippines.</s>Duterte tells UN expert 'to go to hell' over criticism

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte lashed out Sunday at another U.N. human rights expert for making critical remarks about his supposed role in the expulsion of the chief justice, telling him "to go to hell."

Duterte dismissed the remarks of Diego Garcia-Sayan and told him not to meddle in domestic problems. Duterte was replying to a reporter's question before flying on a visit to South Korea.

"Tell him not to interfere with the affairs of my country. He can go to hell," Duterte said in a late-night televised news conference. "He is not a special person and I do not recognize his rapporteur title."

Garcia-Sayan told reporters in Manila on Thursday that the unprecedented ouster of Maria Lourdes Sereno as chief justice after Duterte lambasted her in public is an attack on judicial independence that could put Philippine democracy at risk.

Duterte has reacted with similar public outbursts in the past against other U.N. rapporteurs who raised alarm and sought an independent investigation into his bloody campaign against illegal drugs, which has left thousands of mostly poor drug suspects dead. Police blamed the deaths on clashes with law enforcers.

Sereno's ouster has generated "a climate of intimidation" in the 15-member high court and other levels of the judiciary, Garcia-Sayan said in an interview with The Associated Press in Manila.

He added that there was no formal U.N. investigation into Sereno's removal, but as the U.N. rapporteur who looks into threats to independence of judges and lawyers worldwide, he had to speak up when problems are reported anywhere in the world. He cited his upcoming report on such a threat to the judiciary in Poland.

"For a rapporteur of the U.N. on independence of justice to keep silent when a chief justice in any country in the world, even in my country, would be dismissed in such way is impossible, and it will be immoral to stay silent," Garcia-Sayan, a former justice and foreign minister of Peru, said.

He said he sent questions to the Philippine government about the circumstances leading to the May 11 ouster of Sereno and expressed hopes that the Duterte administration would reply within 60 days and agree to a dialogue on issues that could threaten the judiciary's independence.

Sereno, 57, was expelled by an 8-6 vote on a petition filed by government Solicitor General Jose Calida, who accused her of failing to file asset disclosures as a state university law professor years ago, a charge she denies. It pre-empted impeachment proceedings against Sereno that were then underway in Congress.

Sereno has appealed the ruling, citing a constitutional principle that top judiciary officials can only be removed by congressional impeachment. A majority of the 23-member Senate, including some Duterte allies, has asked the Supreme Court to review its decision, calling it a "dangerous precedent" that infringed on Congress' power to impeach senior officials.

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said Garcia-Sayan was misinformed and added that while Duterte has been critical of Sereno for claiming that he plotted against her, the president had no hand in her expulsion. His dislike of Sereno "is not an attack to the judiciary or an affront to judicial independence," Roque said.</s>Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has lashed out at another UN human rights expert for making critical remarks about his supposed role in the expulsion of the chief justice, telling him to “go to hell.”

Mr Duterte dismissed the remarks of Diego Garcia-Sayan and told him not to meddle in domestic problems.

Mr Duterte was replying to a reporter’s question before flying on a visit to South Korea.</s>The Philippine president has lashed out at another UN human rights expert for making critical remarks about his supposed role in the expulsion of the Supreme Court chief justice.

President Rodrigo Duterte dismissed the remarks of Diego Garcia-Sayan and told him in a televised speech early on Sunday not to meddle in domestic problems and "to go to hell".

Duterte was replying to a reporter's question before flying on a visit to South Korea.

Garcia-Sayan told reporters in Manila on Thursday that the unprecedented ouster of Maria Lourdes Sereno as chief justice after Duterte lambasted her in public is an attack on judicial independence that could put Philippine democracy at risk.

Duterte has reacted similarly against other UN rapporteurs who raised alarm over his deadly campaign against illegal drugs.
Shortly before leaving for South Korea, the President of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, tells the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers Diego García Sayán that "he can go to hell".