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After PH disengagement, families of drug war victims can still submit evidence to ICC: lawyer

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ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Fr. Flavie Villanueva along with workers carry the exhumed remains of Aljon Deparine at the Navotas Cemetery on September 17, 2021. According to the mother of Ajon, then 22-year-old Aljon was among the group of boys picked up by masked men on motorbikes, and was later found dead under a bridge on September 20, 2016. Several remains of alleged drug war victims were exhumed after the leases on their graves expired. George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News/File" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2022/tvpatrol/09/13/20210917-alleged-ejk-victims-exhumed-gc-6419.jpg"/><figcaption>Fr. Flavie Villanueva along with workers carry the exhumed remains of Aljon Deparine at the Navotas Cemetery on September 17, 2021. According to the mother of Ajon, then 22-year-old Aljon was among the group of boys picked up by masked men on motorbikes, and was later found dead under a bridge on September 20, 2016. Several remains of alleged drug war victims were exhumed after the leases on their graves expired. <em>George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News/File</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>MANILA — Families of drug war victims can still submit evidence to the International Criminal Court (ICC) despite the Philippines&#x27; refusal to engage with the tribunal, a lawyer said Friday.</p><p>On Thursday, the country&#x27;s chief legal officer, Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra, said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has approved the Philippine government&#x27;s <a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/07/20/23/marcos-jr-oks-philippine-disengagement-with-icc-osg" target="_blank">disengagement</a> with the ICC. The <a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/07/18/23/icc-junks-ph-appeal-to-proceed-with-drug-war-probe" target="_blank">rejected appeal</a>, Guevarra said, would be the country&#x27;s last involvement with the permanent court.</p><p>&quot;This investigation will move forward and ask for evidence,&quot; Kristina Conti, ICC assistant to counsel and secretary general of the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers - National Capital Region, told ANC&#x27;s &quot;Headstart.&quot;</p><p>While the Philippine government has aggregated data on the drug war such as police and SOCO reports, Conti said the families of the victims have &quot;a few of them,&quot; including testimonial evidence that &quot;the government doesn&#x27;t have&quot; as well as eyewitness accounts.</p><p>&quot;I know it would be painstaking work to put them all together. In fact, I myself have been through only 200 families’ data,&quot; Conti said.</p><p>&quot;But then there are others who have barely paperwork as to the deaths of their loved ones. Which is why we’re bringing all these materials that we have before the ICC if they’re willing to talk to us. It&#x27;s just a question really of how and when we will reach out to them and they will reach out to us.&quot;</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/video/news/07/19/23/summons-loom-as-icc-probe-into-drug-war-continues">Summons loom as ICC probe into drug war continues: expert</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/07/19/23/bato-to-skip-icc-member-countries-if-arrest-warrant-out">Bato says won&#x27;t travel to ICC-member countries if arrest warrant out</a></li></ul><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=2728684" 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><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><p>Conti added that they could &quot;easily bring before the ICC&quot; some 7,000 documents that were already submitted by the Philippine National Police (PNP) in relation to the pending case before the Supreme Court on the issue of &quot;Oplan Tokhang.&quot;</p><p>She underscored that drug war documents cannot be treated as classified data, citing the Supreme Court. </p><p>&quot;There’s no threat if you disclose this to the public, and therefore the PNP should not be able to invoke national security.&quot;</p><p>Moreover, she believes that there should be a way to &quot;systematically confront&quot; the issue. </p><p>&quot;There is an impetus for now for all of us to really look into&quot; the authentication, gathering, and retrieval of the drug war documents, Conti said.</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>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/video/news/07/20/23/families-of-drug-war-victims-vow-to-cooperate-with-icc-probe">Families of drug war victims vow to cooperate with ICC probe</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/07/18/23/ex-pres-duterte-shrugs-off-icc-junking-of-ph-appeal">Ex-pres. Duterte &#x27;shrugs off&#x27; ICC junking of PH gov&#x27;t appeal</a></li></ul><div><strong>—with a report from Agence France-Presse</strong></div>

Families of drug war victims can still submit evidence to the ICC despite the Philippines' refusal to engage with the tribunal, a lawyer said.