HRW asks the current president, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., to collaborate with the court
July 18 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has resumed on Tuesday the investigation into the war on drugs under the Administration of former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte for alleged crimes against humanity after rejecting an appeal filed by Manila.
The measure has been announced after three of the five judges of the Court of Appeals of the TPI voted in favor of restarting the investigation, which is a step of vital importance for the victims and their families.
The judge who presides over the room, Marc Perrin de Brichambaut, has confirmed the ruling and has pointed out that the appeal of the Philippine Government is not sustained and that the judges have not found sufficient evidence to demonstrate the errors raised by Manila, according to information collected by the newspaper ‘The Philippine Star’.
Last January, the court authorized the reopening of the case, which deals with the actions of the Philippine security forces in the framework of Duterte’s war on drugs, which would have resulted in more than 6,000 deaths, according to data from The authorities.
The relatives of the victims and several groups defending Human Rights have applauded the decision of the court. Bryony Lau, deputy director for Asia at Human Rights Watch (HRW), said the ruling “marks the next step towards justice for the victims of drug war murders and their families.”
“The (Ferdinand) Marcos government must uphold its declared commitment to human rights and the fight against impunity by fulfilling its international legal obligation to cooperate with the court’s investigation,” he said before urging Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., to collaborate with the TPI, according to a statement from the NGO.
On January 26, ICC judges concluded that the Philippine government had failed to show that it had taken sufficient steps to investigate and prosecute the killings during the Duterte administration.
