Duterte could be impeached over confession about killing drug addicts

Manila: Philippine Senator Richard Gordon on Wednesday warned that an impeachment process could be initiated against President Rodrigo Duterte after he admitted having killed alleged drug addicts when he was mayor.

"When he says that, he`s opening himself up. He said it, so the legal way is to go ahead and impeach him," the Senator said in reference to Duterte`s remarks.

In a speech before departing on an official visit to Cambodia on Monday, Duterte declared he had killed alleged drug addicts and traffickers while he was mayor of Davao city, reports Efe.

Since Duterte was elected President in May, nearly 6,000 people have been killed in the war on drugs by his administration -- of this, over 2,000 people have died in police operations and the rest in extrajudicial killings.

The violent campaign against drug-trafficking has been strongly criticised by international and regional human rights groups, including the UN and the European Union.