The International Criminal Court is set to resume its investigation on the deadly drug war in the Philippines during Rodrigo Duterte’s presidency, potentially creating a dilemma for incumbent Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
(Bloomberg) — The International Criminal Court is set to resume its investigation on the deadly drug war in the Philippines during Rodrigo Duterte’s presidency, potentially creating a dilemma for incumbent Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
The tribunal based in The Hague said one of its pre-trial chambers had granted the prosecution’s request to reopen the probe as it was “not satisfied” with steps taken by the Philippine government.
“Various domestic initiatives and proceedings, assessed collectively, do not amount to tangible, concrete and progressive investigative steps in a way that would sufficiently mirror the Court’s investigation,” the international court said in a statement Thursday.
Marcos will now have to decide if his administration will cooperate with the tribunal’s probe. He earlier said there’s no need for the court’s investigators to come to the Philippines as the nation has institutions that work. Marcos won the presidency in tandem with Duterte’s daughter, now Vice President Sara Duterte, but the former leader didn’t directly back him.
“The ICC offers a path forward to fill the accountability vacuum,” Human Rights Watch said following the tribunal’s latest decision.
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More than 6,000 were killed in Duterte’s drug war, based on government data, but human rights groups estimate a higher death toll, mostly among the poor.
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