Philippines: ICC authorizes investigation into President Duterte's "war on drugs"
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte was elected in 2016 after a security campaign promising to eradicate drug trafficking by killing tens of thousands of delinquents.
Noel CELIS AFP
Text by: RFI Follow
2 min
The judges of the International Criminal Court in The Hague gave the green light, Wednesday, September 15, to the opening of an investigation into the thousands of assassinations perpetrated in the Philippines in the name of the "war on drugs" led by the government of Rodrigo Duterte.
Good news for thousands of bereaved families.
Advertising
Read more
More than 6,000 people have been killed
in the Philippines by police gunfire since Rodrigo Duterte came to power in 2016, according to official figures.
But human rights organizations estimate the number to be at least three times the number.
Crimes that are "
neither legitimate
" nor "
mere excesses
"
Can these murders committed by the security forces be qualified as possible crimes against humanity? Yes, the judges of the International Criminal Court (ICC) concluded on Wednesday September 15 after a preliminary examination: there is a "
reasonable basis
" for talking about crimes against humanity. In a statement, they specify that the "
campaign known as the
" war on drugs "
cannot be considered as a legitimate operation to maintain order
". In conclusion, "the
murders can be considered neither as legitimate nor as mere excesses
".
The available documents indicate "
that a generalized and systematic attack against the civilian population was launched in application or in the pursuit of the policy of a State
", specified the international judges in a press release.
President Duterte will not cooperate
To escape a possible conviction, the Philippines withdrew from the ICC in March 2019. But the court in The Hague still considers itself competent to investigate assassinations committed before that date.
Even before the opening of this international investigation, President Duterte has already indicated that it is out of the question for his country to cooperate with the court.
"
The government will prohibit the entry
" into its territory of any member of this jurisdiction coming "to
gather information and evidence,
" the Philippine president's lawyer warned Thursday on DZBB radio.
Rodrigo Duterte has already claimed on several occasions that the ICC has no authority and that he will not cooperate with what he called an "
illegal
"
investigation
.
Newsletter
Receive all international news directly in your mailbox
I subscribe
Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application
google-play-badge_FR
Philippines
Rodrigo Duterte
Drug
International justice