The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) Karim Khan asked Friday, June 24 the reopening of the investigation into the drug war led by the Philippine government of Rodrigo Duterte, marked by thousands of murders.
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“The delay of the ICC investigation requested by the Philippines is not justified“and this one”must resume as soon as possible“said the prosecutor. The investigation had been suspended in November 2021 following a request from Manila. The announcement comes a few days before Rodrigo Duterte’s departure from power, after six years marked by his bloody war on drugs. According to court documents, the Philippine ambassador in November called for a postponement of the investigation, saying in his letter of request that the Philippine government was investigating alleged crimes against humanity committed during the war on drugs.
But according to the prosecutor,with few exceptions, the Philippine government has not provided any documentation proving that investigations are ongoing or completed, nor any details regarding the concrete investigative or prosecuting steps that have been taken.“. “Where national authorities fail to act, the Court must step in, and that is why I have filed today’s Application“, he added. The judges of the ICC, based in The Hague (Netherlands), had authorized in September an investigation into this drug war marked by thousands of murders committed by the police, which could constitute, according to the judges, crimes against humanity.
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Rodrigo Duterte was elected president in 2016 after an outrageous security campaign, promising to eradicate drug trafficking in the Philippines by killing tens of thousands of offenders. At least 6,181 people have been killed in more than 200,000 anti-drug operations since July 2016, according to the latest official data released by the Philippines. ICC prosecutors estimate the death toll at between 12,000 and 30,000. Manila withdrew from the ICC in 2019, but the court assures that the jurisdiction remains competent for crimes committed when the country was still a member. After refusing to cooperate with the ICC investigation, Rodrigo Duterte backtracked in October and announced that he would prepare his defense.