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ICC junks Philippine gov't appeal, to proceed with drug war probe

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ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="ABS-CBN News/file" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2019/news/07/05/20170616-tokhang-drug-war-8-jc.jpg"/><figcaption>A woman watches on as police investigate an alleged victim of President Rodrigo Duterte&#x27;s drug war on June 16, 2017. <em>Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News/file</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>MANILA — (<strong>UPDATED</strong>) The International Criminal Court (ICC) on Tuesday ruled that it would proceed with its investigation on the killings during former President Rodrigo Duterte&#x27;s bloody drug war, denying the Philippine government&#x27;s appeal on the contrary.</p><p>The court handed down the ruling past 4 p.m. Manila time, with ICC Appeals Chamber Presiding Judge Marc Perrin de Brichambaut announcing the decision on the Philippines&#x27; appeal.</p><p>Judges at a public hearing at the court&#x27;s headquarters on Tuesday &quot;confirmed by majority... a decision granting authorization to the ICC Prosecutor to resume the investigations in relation to the situation in the Philippines.&quot;</p><p>A five-judge bench dismissed Manila&#x27;s objection that the court had no jurisdiction because the Philippines pulled out of the ICC in 2019, some three years before the inquiry was resumed.</p><p>&quot;The Appeals Chamber by majority... finds that the Philippines sets out the alleged errors in a manner that renders unclear both the precise nature of its challenge as well as the legal basis pursuant to which the challenge is made,&quot; presiding judge Marc Perrin de Brichambaut said.</p><p>The Philippine government was represented by Sarah Bafadhel and Philippine Ambassador to The Hague Eduardo Malaya.</p><p>ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan, who had been given the green light to proceed with the probe, was also present.</p><p>Human Rights Watch welcomed the ICC ruling, calling it the &quot;next step toward justice for victims of [the] &#x27;drug war&#x27; and their families.&quot;</p><p>&quot;The Marcos administration should back up its stated commitment to human rights and the fight against impunity by following through on its international legal obligation to cooperate with the court&#x27;s investigation,&quot; the group&#x27;s Asia deputy director Bryony Lau said in a statement. </p><p>The group&#x27;s senior researcher Carlos Conde earlier expressed optimism Tuesday morning that the ICC ruling would favor the drug war victims, citing the Philippine government&#x27;s treatment of the ICC and lack of transparency on the drug war.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/07/18/23/rights-group-optimistic-icc-would-favor-drug-war-victims">Rights group &#x27;optimistic&#x27; ICC would favor drug war victims</a></li></ul><p>&quot;We are very optimistic that the ICC will look at whatever evidence is there, the information that&#x27;s been filed with them by the families of victims of the drug war—it&#x27;s this evidence and this information, these testimonies are too important, too massive to ignore... that&#x27;s why we think that the ICC will rule in favor of the victims of the drug war,&quot; Conde told ANC.</p><p>The Marcos administration had shunned the ICC probe, with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. himself saying that the court had &quot;no jurisdiction&quot; in the Philippines and its investigation being a &quot;threat to our sovereignty.&quot; </p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/02/18/23/marcos-icc-has-no-jurisdiction-over-ph-for-duterte-drug-war-probe">&#x27;Threat to our sovereignty&#x27;: Marcos won&#x27;t allow ICC in PH for Duterte drug war probe</a></li></ul><p>A day before the ICC handed down its decision, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla had said that the Philippines <a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/07/17/23/remulla-ph-wont-implement-arrest-warrant-if-icc-issues-one-over-drug-war-probe">would not implement any arrest warrant</a>, should the ICC issue one, on its drug war probe. </p><p>Duterte pulled the Philippines out of the ICC in 2019, a year after the Hague-based tribunal began a preliminary probe into the crackdown which has killed thousands.</p><p>The ICC launched a formal inquiry in September 2021, only to suspend it two months later after Manila said it was re-examining several hundred cases of drug operations that led to deaths at the hands of police, hitmen and vigilantes.</p><p>At least 6,181 people have been killed in more than 200,000 anti-drug operations carried out, according to the latest official data released by the Philippines. ICC prosecutors estimate the death toll at between 12,000 and 30,000.</p><div><strong>—With reports from Agence France-Presse, Mike Navallo and Raffy Cabristante, ABS-CBN News</strong></div><div><strong>FROM THE ARCHIVES:</strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=2438932" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>

ICC ruled to proceed with its probe on the killings during former President Duterte's drug war, denying the Philippine government's appeal.