June 25. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Karim Khan, has announced the resumption of the investigation of the actions of the Philippine security forces in the framework of the “war on drugs” of the Philippine president, Rodrigo Duterte, which is It would have claimed up to 12,000 fatalities, according to estimates.
“After a careful and thorough review of all information provided by the Philippines and other information publicly available, provided by third parties or already in our collection, I have concluded that the Philippines’ request for dismissal cannot be granted and that the investigation should be resumed as soon as possible. soon as possible,” Khan explained in an official statement.
Thus, Khan maintains that the Philippine government has not shown that it has investigated the numerous cases of deaths in police operations.
“The Philippine government does not appear to be investigating whether any of these alleged crimes were prompted or occurred systematically, or if there is anyone in the higher echelons of the police or government who may be held criminally responsible. For this reason alone the Court must not ignore the investigation,” he argued.
Khan has also explained that “most of the information provided by the Philippine Government is from administrative processes and other non-criminal processes in which criminal responsibility is not settled.”
Duterte, who has less than a week left as Philippine president, has cheered on the brutal police crackdown on drugs. Now, he has expressed his willingness to be tried at the ICC. Last Thursday, in Davao, the president urged the ICC to “stop threatening to investigate” alleged crimes against humanity.
In addition, he has defended that “violence and fear are necessary” for the security forces, particularly in the fight against drugs, and has offered to defend agents who are persecuted as a lawyer, even after his term ends. mandate.
“If you kill five or six during your shift you may hit other people, even innocent people. Don’t worry. It’s part of the fight. I’ll be there to support you,” he said.
The ICC investigation is based on a complaint filed in 2018 by non-governmental organizations and relatives of victims of the “war on drugs”. However, Duterte maintains that the ICC does not have the power to try these crimes and withdrew the country from the Rome Treaty that supports the Tribunal on March 17, 2019.
The Philippine government admits more than 6,000 deaths in its controversial raids, although human rights organizations agree that the real figure could be up to four or five times more.
The investigation was suspended in November 2021 at the request of the Philippines, which announced that it would investigate the cases before the Tribunal.
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