International Criminal Court to rule on reopening of drug war probe on July 18
THE INTERNATIONAL Criminal Court (ICC) is set to rule on the Philippines’ appeal to stop its probe of ex-President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s deadly war on drugs on July 18.
In a three-page order dated July 12, the ICC Appeals Chamber said the decision would be delivered in open court in the Hague.
The chamber in March denied the country’s request to stop the ICC Pre-Trial chamber from reopening its investigation of the anti-illegal drug campaign that killed thousands.
The ICC said the Philippines had failed to persuade the tribunal to suspend the investigation, adding that its investigation should not prevent the government from continuing its own probe of rogue cops in the state’s deadly drug war.
The country had asked the ICC not to proceed with the investigation of the drug war while its appeal was pending.
Solicitor General Menardo I. Guevarra, who was Mr. Duterte’s Justice secretary, earlier said the country is not legally and morally bound to cooperate with the international court.
“This ruling will have serious and far-reaching consequences for our country,” he said on March 28. “It places us in the same class of rogue nations where the rule of law is not respected.”
The Hague-based tribunal in January reopened its probe of Mr. Duterte’s campaign against illegal drugs, saying it was not satisfied with government efforts to probe human rights abuses.
It was also set to probe vigilante-style killings in Davao City when Mr. Duterte was still its vice mayor and mayor.
The tribunal, which tries people charged with crimes against humanity, genocide, war crimes and aggression, suspended its probe of Mr. Duterte’s deadly drug war in 2021 upon the Philippine government’s request.
ICC Prosecutor Karim Ahmad A. Khan on Feb. 16 told the ICC the Philippines had not raised new arguments to justify halting the probe.
He said the Duterte government had condoned crimes committed during the drug war.
Mr. Duterte canceled Philippine membership in the ICC in 2018. President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. has said the Philippines would not rejoin the international tribunal, adding that the probe is a threat to Philippine sovereignty.
On Wednesday, the Department of Justice vowed to revive an inter-agency task force that probed unlawful deaths in the anti-illegal drug campaign.
The Philippines has accepted 200 recommendations from the United Nations Human Rights Council, including investigating extralegal killings and protecting journalists and activists.
In February, a delegation of European Union lawmakers that visited the Philippines urged the government to rejoin the ICC to show its commitment to human rights.
The government estimates that at least 6,117 suspected drug dealers were killed in police operations. Human rights groups say as many as 30,000 suspects died. — John Victor D. Ordoñez
