ICC grants new inquiry into Duterte's deadly 'war on drugs'
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (Updated: 8:25 a.m.) —The International Criminal Court said Thursday it had authorized the reopening of an inquiry into the brutal anti-drugs campaign by former Philippines' president Rodrigo Duterte which left thousands dead.
Duterte pulled the Philippines out of the Hague-based tribunal in 2019 after the court’s former prosecutor Fatou Bensouda launched a preliminary examination into the crackdown, followed by the launch of a formal inquiry later that year.
The prosecutor could still investigate crimes committed during the period the Philippines was a state party to the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the ICC.
But the probe was suspended in November 2021 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.
Officially, 6,181 people were killed in Duterte's "war on drugs" but rights groups say that up to 30,000 may have been killed, some innocent victims, and that corruption was rife among security forces that acted with impunity.
ICC prosecutor Karim Khan asked to restart the inquiry last year, saying the Philippine government under Duterte's successor, President Ferdinand Marcos, had not provided evidence it was carrying out thorough inquiries.
In a statement Thursday, the ICC said its pre-trial chamber "is not satisfied that the Philippines is undertaking relevant investigations that would warrant a deferral of the court's investigations".
"The various domestic initiatives and proceedings, assessed collectively, do not amount to tangible, concrete and progressive investigative steps," it added.
Marcos has vowed to continue the drug war but with a focus on prevention and rehabilitation, though so far he has ruled out rejoining the ICC.
The ICC is a “court of last resort” and steps in and exercises jurisdiction only if countries are unwilling or unable to prosecute offenders.
The Philippine government insists that local courts are functioning well and can exercise jurisdiction over any complaints.
There were only two convictions of law enforcers involved in the "drug war"—the murder of 17-year-old Kian Delos Santos, and the torture and frame-up of 19-year-old Carl Arnaiz and 14-year-old Reynaldo ‘Kulot’ de Guzman. — with report from Gaea Katreena Cabico
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