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SolGen tells ICC to wait for results of Philippines' own drug war probe

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ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Workers carry the remains of an alleged drug war victim after its exhumation at the Manila North Cemetery on Sept. 17, 2021. George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News/File " src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2021/tvpatrol/10/08/20210917-alleged-ejk-victims-exhumed-gc-6096.jpg"/><figcaption>Workers carry the remains of an alleged drug war victim after its exhumation at the Manila North Cemetery on Sept. 17, 2021. George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News/File </figcaption></figure></div>MANILA — Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra urged the International Criminal Court on Friday to wait for the results of the Philippines&#x27; own investigation into drug war killings under the previous administration instead of resuming a separate probe. The Philippines is &quot;doing our responsibility of conducting our own investigation&quot; and under the principle of complementarity, the ICC should give priority to domestic probes, said Guevarra. &quot;Hindi naman ‘yan as if mayroong na-file na kaso ngayon, bukas makalawa, meron ka nang conviction na ini-expect. What we’re trying to show here is we’re doing what we need to do: our duty, our mandate, we’re doing it,&quot; Guevarra told ANC&#x27;s Dateline Philippines. (It&#x27;s not as if you&#x27;d file a case today and should expect a conviction tomorrow or the day after.) &quot;Maghintay na lang sila ng resulta… We&#x27;re doing this investigation genuinely,&quot; he added.(They should just wait for the result.) Guevarra made the statement a day after his office asked the ICC pre-trial chamber to deny the request of ICC prosecutor Karim Khan to restart the probe into the anti-narcotics campaign that killed thousands of people. <ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/09/08/22/ph-asks-icc-to-deny-resumption-of-drug-war-probe">Philippines asks ICC to deny prosecutor&#x27;s request to resume drug war probe</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=2221685" 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>Guevarra reiterated that the country&#x27;s judicial system &quot;is functioning&quot; despite few cases reaching courts. &quot;That&#x27;s how our legal and judicial system [work],&quot; he said. The ICC should respect the Philippines&#x27; sovereignty, Guevarra added, warning that ICC prosecutors setting foot in the country could be seen as an indictment of its judicial system.&quot;If they come in and if say they have jurisdiction that is an indictment not only against the certain officials of the country; it&#x27;s an indictment against the Philippine judicial and legal system,&quot; Guevarra said.&quot;In effect, they&#x27;re saying you are not functioning; you&#x27;re not worth it.&quot;<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/06/24/2https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/06/24/22/icc-prosecutor-wants-to-resume-probe-on-ph-drug-war2/icc-prosecutor-wants-to-resume-probe-on-ph-drug-war">ICC Prosecutor wants to resume probe on PH drug war</a></li></ul>Last year, the ICC authorized a full investigation into the drug war, saying it appeared to be an illegitimate and systematic attack on civilians.Rights groups say former President Rodrigo Duterte created a climate of impunity that led to deaths at the hands of police, hitmen and vigilantes, even without proof that victims were involved in drugs. <ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/spotlight/09/16/21/kill-them-key-events-on-dutertes-war-on-drugs">&#x27;Kill them&#x27;: Key events on Duterte&#x27;s war on drugs</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/spotlight/06/01/22/over-7000-deaths-in-6-years-of-dutertes-drug-war-research">War on drugs: ABS-CBN research shows over 7,000 individuals killed in past 6 years</a></li></ul>The ICC, which only gets involved in prosecutions if member states are unable or unwilling to investigate, suspended the probe 2 months after Manila said it was looking into the alleged crimes.Under pressure from the UN Human Rights Council and the ICC, the Duterte government began examining several hundred cases of drug operations that led to deaths.Those efforts led to charges being filed in a handful of cases and the conviction of 3 police officers of wrongdoing. The Office of Solicitor General said that the Philippine government also explained to the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber the extent of the drug problem in the country and the process of investigating and prosecuting drug-related offenses. <div>— With reports from Mike Navallo, ABS-CBN News; Agence France-Presse </div>

Solicitor General Guevarra urged the ICC to wait for the result of the Philippines' own investigation into the drug war. 