Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte Slams Trudeau For Questioning Bloody War On Drugs: 'Lay Off'

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte went after Justin Trudeau this week after the Canadian prime minister questioned the so-called war on drugs in the country. Duterte was asked in a news conference Tuesday how he responded when Trudeau brought up the issue of human rights.

“I said I will not explain,” Duterte said, according to the Guardian. “I only answer to the Filipino. I will not answer to any other bulls---, especially foreigners. Lay off.”

Trudeau had a rather different opinion of the conversation, according to a news conference he gave earlier that same day. He said the two men discussed the “extrajudicial killings” as a matter of concern for Canada.

“The president was very receptive to my comments,” the Canadian prime minister said. “It was throughout a very cordial and positive exchange.”

President Donald Trump and Duterte also “briefly” discussed human rights during a talk Monday, according to the White House. Trump was criticized by some for not adequately denouncing the drug war in the Philippines.

“The conversation focused on ISIS, illegal drugs and trade,” press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said. “Human rights briefly came up in the context of the Philippines’ fight against illegal drugs.”

A spokesperson for Duterte, however, denied any such conversation took place, telling CNN the topic “was not brought up.”

Since he took office in 2016, Duterte declared a so-called “war on drugs” involving both police and vigilantes slaughtering alleged drug users and dealers. Duterte’s bloody campaign has led to the deaths of thousands in the Philippines. More than 12,000 people have been killed so far, 2,555 of which were attributed to the Philippine National Police, according to Human Rights Watch.

Duterte has defended the violence, going so far as to brag about allegedly killing a man with his own hands.