Photo of Australian intel chief, Duterte stirs debate

SYDNEY - Reuters

Australia on Aug. 24 defended its most senior intelligence chief after he was pictured posing with a clenched fist alongside Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte, an image rights groups said undermines criticism of Duterte's war on drugs.

Australia's Director-General of the Australian Secret Intelligence Service Nick Warner met with Duterte in Manila on Aug. 22, where he was photographed duplicating Duterte's clenched fist pose. The president's clenched pose was used throughout his 2016 presidential campaign during which he promised to use deadly force to wipe out crime and drugs.

Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said Warner was complying with a request from Duterte and the image did not weaken Canberra's criticism of Duterte's war on drugs.

"On both occasions that I've met with President Duterte I've raised the issue of human rights and the extrajudicial killings," Bishop told reporters in Perth.

Amnesty International said Australia must do more to try and curtail the Philippine's firebrand leader.