PH withdraws from ICC
The
Philippines’ withdrawal from the International Criminal Court has taken effect.
Last
year, President Rodrigo Duterte announced that he will pull the country out
from the international court’s jurisdiction following a case filed against him
for in relation to his violent anti-drug campaign.
The
case was filed by lawyer Jude Sabio, who also represents self-confessed ‘Davao
Death Squad’ hitmen Edgar Matobato and Arturo Lascañas. Matobato and Lascañas
had previously admitted to killing people in Davao City under Duterte’s orders,
when he was still city mayor.
In
April 2017, Sabio submitted to the ICC a 77-page document on the killings,
formally called by the tribunal as a "communication." This was
followed by supplemental information from opposition lawmakers Senator Antonio
Trillanes and Magdalo party-list Rep. Gary Alejano. They said over a thousand
were killed by the so-called Davao Death Squad, while thousands more were
killed in the war on drugs since Duterte became president.
A
preliminary investigation was launched by ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda.
The
case on the Philippines’ withdrawal from the ICC is still pending at the
Supreme Court.
Duterte,
in his recent speeches, slammed Bensouda, and threatened to slap her if she
would come to the Philippines.
He
also recently said that he is willing to face a death sentence from the ICC for
his alleged crimes. The ICC does not implement a death sentence, and instead
has life imprisonment as its maximum penalty.
Should
the ICC push with its investigation, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo
said the government will not assist them. “Why will we cooperate when they have
no jurisdiction?,” he said.
Critics
of the withdrawal said that withdrawing from the ICC would leave the
Philippines vulnerable to future attacks, including a possible invasion from
China.
Senior
Associate Justice Antonio Carpio said earlier that we cannot bring President Xi
Jinping to the ICC if he invades PAGASA or build a military base in Scarborough
shoal.
The
Commission on Human Rights said that the withdrawal is a reversal of the
country’s commitment to international treaty obligations. It also casts doubt
on the government’s innocence in the recent spate of drug-related killings.
CHR
Spokesperson Jacqueline Ann de Guia said in a statement that the task before
the Philippine government is to show beyond words that it is willing to
investigate, prosecute, and punish perpetrators of alleged extrajudicial
killings linked to the government’s anti-drug war. The best way to move forward
is to cooperate in ICC’s preliminary examination and demonstrate its commitment
in ending impunity, rather than blocking avenues in seeking justice and perhaps
reconsider its withdrawal from the Rome Statute as stronger sign of its
dedication to the rule of law and human rights. (CNN Philippines)
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