FLAG affirms objection to Roque's nomination to international law bodyMANILA, Philippines — The Free Legal Assistance Group has reiterated its objection to presidential spokesperson Harry Roque’s nomination to sit in a United Nations expert panel that develops and codifies international law. With Roque’s nomination, he stands to get elected by the UN General Assembly to the ILC and become one of eight representatives from Asia-Pacific states to sit for five years in the panel beginning Jan. 1, 2023. His nomination also earned objection from the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers and the University of the Philippines, Diliman where he obtained his law degree and taught constitutional law and public international law for 15 years. In affirming its objection to Roque’s nomination, FLAG cited the Duterte spokesperson’s statement calling the UN Human Rights Council a “toothless tiger” and a “shaming machinery” when it called for a comprehensive report on extrajudicial killings in the Philippines in July 2019. Roque’s own public pronouncements attest to his lack of integrity and erroneous understanding of international law, and repudiate any pretense of his being a person of recognized competence in international law,” FLAG said.

Source: Philippine Star September 30, 2021 03:56 UTC