ICC prosecutor suspends probe into Philippines drugs war
Send a link to a friend
[November 20, 2021]
THE HAGUE/MANILA (Reuters) -The
chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) has suspended
a probe at Manila's request into suspected rights abuses during
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's crackdown on drugs.
ICC judges approved a probe https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/international-court-approves-investigation-into-philippines-war-drugs-2021-09-15
in September into the campaign in which thousands of suspected drug
peddlers have died. Activists say many have been executed by law
enforcement agencies with the tacit backing of the president.
Philippine authorities say the killings were in self-defence and that
the ICC has no right to meddle.
Court documents released by the ICC and confirmed by Philippine
officials on Saturday showed that Manila filed the deferral request on
Nov. 10, citing the country's own investigations into drug war killings.
"The prosecution has temporarily suspended its investigative activities
while it assesses the scope and effect of the deferral request," ICC
Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan wrote, adding that it would seek additional
information from the Philippines.
Governments can ask the ICC to defer a case if they are implementing
their own investigations and prosecutions for the same acts.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2021/Nov/20/images/ads/current/christianvillage_sda_SPONSOR_042720.png)
Duterte, 76, pulled the Philippines out of the ICC in 2018 and has said
the international court has no jurisdiction to indict him. The ICC
maintains it has jurisdiction to investigate crimes committed while
Manila was a member and up until 2019.
The Manila request for the deferral follows repeated statements by the
Duterte government that it would not cooperate with the ICC.
"We welcome the judiciousness of the new ICC prosecutor who has deemed
it fit to give the matter a fresh look, and we trust that the matter
will be resolved in favor of the exoneration of our government and the
recognition of the vibrancy of our justice system," Karlo Nograles,
acting spokesperson for Duterte, said in a statement on Saturday.
A Philippine lawyers group called on the ICC not to remove the glimmer
of hope for families of drug-war victims.
"We ask the ICC not to allow itself to be swayed by the claims now being
made by the Duterte administration," the National Union of People's
Lawyers, which represents some victims' families, said in a statement.
[to top of second column]
|
![](../images/112021pics/news_v75.jpg)
Activists take part in a rally protesting at an escalation of
President Rodrigo Duterte's war on drugs, in Quezon City, Metro
Manila, Philippines, August 18, 2017. REUTERS/Dondi Tawatao/File
Photo
![](../images/ads/current/centraldirect_lda_SPONSOR_2021.png)
The Philippine justice system is "extremely slow and
unavailing to the majority of poor and unrepresented victims", it
said.
Human Rights Watch said the government's claim that existing
domestic mechanisms afford citizens justice was absurd. "Let's hope
the ICC sees through the ruse that it is," Brad Adam, its Asia
director, said in a statement.
LOOMING ELECTIONS
The ICC decision is a boost for Duterte, who this week launched a
run for the Senate https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/philippines-edge-deadline-presidential-candidates-looms-2021-11-15
in elections next year. He is barred by the constitution from
seeking re-election as president.
"It will of course provide some relief in the raucous elections,"
political analyst Ramon Casiple, vice president of consulting and
research firm Novo Trends PH, told Reuters. "However, it may not
enable (him) to do more after the elections, particularly if the
incoming government chooses to cooperate with the ICC process."
In its nearly two-decade existence, the ICC has convicted five men
for war crimes and crimes against humanity, all African militia
leaders from Democratic Republic of Congo, Mali and Uganda.
(Reporting by Stephanie van den Berg in The Hague, and Neil Jerome
Morales in Manila; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne, William Mallard and
Jane Wardell)
[© 2021 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2021 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2021/Nov/20/images/ads/current/2021_lda_Businessdirectory.png) |