The Philippines “disassociates” from the International Criminal Court

The Philippines “disassociates” itself from any contact with the International Criminal Court (ICC) a week after the court rejected the country’s request to suspend its investigation into the war on drugs promoted by former President Rodrigo Duterte, the official news agency reports. news from the Philippine Government.

“This ends our relationship with the ICC,” current Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. declared on Tuesday. “At this time, we are disassociating ourselves from any contact or communication,” he said.

«The appeal has failed. And there is, in our opinion, nothing more we can do,” she added.

Likewise, the president raised “serious doubts” about the jurisdiction of the ICC, describing the court’s actions as “interference” and “practically an attack on sovereignty.”

In March 2018, Rodrigo Duterte ordered the Philippines to withdraw from the Rome Statute, the instrument through which the ICC was established. Manila formally severed ties with the court on March 17, 2019.

In September 2021, the ICC began a formal investigation into the drug war launched by Duterte, but suspended it two months after the Philippine government promised to examine the case on its own.

However, the court argues that even if a state withdraws from the statute, the ICC can investigate crimes that were committed when the country was still a member. Thus, in June 2022, the ICC prosecutor requested to reopen the investigation as he was not “satisfied” with the Philippine investigation.

Duterte’s war on drugs has reportedly left more than 7,700 dead. However, the former president insists that he did not order the killing of alleged drug users, except in cases where the Police acted in self-defense. With RT

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