MANILA: The office of the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) prosecutor said there is a “reasonable basis” to believe that crimes against humanity were committed during Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs.
Since taking office in 2016, Duterte launched a bloody anti-narcotics crackdown in which thousands have been killed, sparking global outrage and criticism from rights groups.
Duterte has at times lashed out at what he said were international efforts to paint him as a “ruthless and heartless violator of human rights” and unilaterally withdrew the Philippines from the ICC’s founding treaty in 2018.
The presidential office on Tuesday dismissed the report as speculative and legally erroneous.
“They can do what they want to. We do not recognize the jurisdiction of the ICC,” Harry Roque, Duterte’s spokesman, told a news conference.
The report issued on Monday said “the office is satisfied that information available provides a reasonable basis to believe that the crimes against humanity of murder, torture and the infliction of serious physical injury and mental harm as other inhumane acts were committed” between 2016 and 2019.
Many people targeted had been on a drug watch lists compiled by authorities or had previously surrendered to police, while a significant number of minors were victims, the report said.
Government data show that 5,942 suspected drug dealers have been killed as of the end of October, though rights groups suspect the death toll is much higher and say thousands more have died in shadowy circumstances.
Rights groups accuse police of systematically executing suspected drug dealers and users. Police deny this and say those killed violently resisted arrest during sting operations.
Philippine police spokesman Ysmael Yu declined to comment, saying his office has yet to receive a copy of the ICC report.
The Hague-based ICC started its preliminary examination of the Philippines drug campaign in 2018 and is due to reach a decision on whether to seek authorization to open a formal investigation in the first half of next year.
ICC prosecutor sees ‘reasonable basis’ for crimes against humanity in Philippine drug war
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ICC prosecutor sees ‘reasonable basis’ for crimes against humanity in Philippine drug war
- After taking office in 2016, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte launched a bloody anti-narcotics crackdown
Germany says UN rights rapporteur for Palestinian territories should quit
- Albanese has said that her comments are being falsely portrayed
- “I have never, ever, ever said ‘Israel is the common enemy of humanity’,” Albanese said
BERLIN: German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul on Thursday called for the resignation of the UN special rapporteur for the Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, over comments she made allegedly targeting Israel at a conference.
“I respect the UN system of independent rapporteurs. However, Ms Albanese has made numerous inappropriate remarks in the past. I condemn her recent statements about Israel. She is untenable in her position,” Wadephul wrote on X.
Albanese has said that her comments are being falsely portrayed. She denounced what she called “completely false accusations” and “manipulation” of her words in an interview with broadcaster France 24 on Wednesday.
Speaking via videoconference at a forum in Doha on Saturday organized by the Al Jazeera network, Albanese referred to a “common enemy of humanity” after criticizing “most of the world” and much of Western media for enabling the “genocide” in Gaza.
“And this is a challenge — the fact that instead of stopping Israel, most of the world has armed, given Israel political excuses, political sheltering, economic and financial support,” she said.
Albanese said that “international law has been stabbed in the heart” but added that there is an opportunity since “we now see that we as a humanity have a common enemy.”
Wadephul’s French counterpart Jean-Noel Barrot on Wednesday made the same call for Albanese to resign over the comments.
“France unreservedly condemns the outrageous and reprehensible remarks made by Ms Francesca Albanese, which are directed not at the Israeli government, whose policies may be criticized, but at Israel as a people and as a nation, which is absolutely unacceptable,” Barrot told French lawmakers.
Albanese posted video of her comments to X on Monday, writing in the post that “the common enemy of humanity is THE SYSTEM that has enabled the genocide in Palestine, including the financial capital that funds it, the algorithms that obscure it and the weapons that enable it.”
In her interview with France 24, which was recorded before Barrot’s statement, she contended that her comments were being misrepresented.
“I have never, ever, ever said ‘Israel is the common enemy of humanity’,” Albanese told the broadcaster.
