Friday, November 26, 2021

Coalition hits ICC suspension of drug war probe as ‘absolute betrayal’

Friday, November 26, 2021  Herbert Curia - Promoter  No comments

 


From the Website of INQUIRER


ICC asks PH gov’t to show proof it is investigating drug war killings

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Coalition hits ICC suspension of drug war probe as ‘absolute betrayal’
 
FILE - Diana Vinculado weeps after finding the body of her husband Antonio Vinculado, after he was killed by police in what they say was a shootout with police, in Paranaque, Metro Manila, Philippines, July 14, 2017. The United States congress is the latest to express concern over human rights violations in President Rodrigo Duterte's war on drugs. The Philippine National Police has claimed that there have been at least 12,000 killings throughout the country in the past year, 3,000 of which were drug suspects shot dead in police operations. Another 2,000 killings have been confirmed by police to be drug-related while the other 7,000 deaths are still under investigation. Human rights groups have said that many of these killings were carried out by undercover police or state sanctioned death squads. United Nations member states called on the Philippine government to conduct a "thorough" investigation into extrajudicial killings in the country and hold accountable the perpetrators. Duterte won the presidency a year ago by pledging to kill thousands in an all-out war against drugs in a country where drugs and crime are deeply-rooted.

MANILA, Philippines — The suspension by the International Criminal Court (ICC) of its probe of the drug war killings in the Philippines was an “absolute betrayal” for the individuals who had provided testimony against President Rodrigo Duterte’s brutal war on drugs, a coalition of human rights defenders said on Sunday.

According to the International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP), the suspension only “rewards” Duterte and further victimizes those who gave evidence in support of the ICC probe.

In a statement, ICHRP chair Peter Murphy said their organization was extremely disappointed over the ICC’s decision.

“Any suspension or delay is an absolute betrayal of those brave individuals who came forward at great personal risk to provide evidence and testimony regarding these alleged crimes,” Murphy said.

ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan earlier announced the suspension of the probe following a Nov. 10 request by the Philippine government to defer the investigation.

In a letter to Khan, Philippine Ambassador to the Netherlands Eduardo Malaya said the government was already looking into the alleged extrajudicial killings and that the country’s justice system was working.

Malaya said the Duterte administration had begun its review of 52 drug war cases.

But Murphy cited the first and second reports by Investigate PH—an international coalition of civil, political and legal organizations—“clearly showed the flaws and failure of the domestic remedies now claimed to be operating.”

Murphy pointed out that Philippine courts were only able to convict two police officers for the 2017 murder of 17-year-old Kian delos Santos.

Delos Santos was among the over 6,000 people killed under Mr. Duterte’s war on drugs.

Human rights groups claim that close to 30,000 people, mostly poor Filipinos, were killed.

Murphy said Investigate PH had presented forensic evidence refuting government claims that victims in the war on drugs were killed by police in self-defense.

“The ICC needs to restart its investigation of all the evidence it has before it and give justice to the tens of thousands of Filipinos murdered at President Duterte’s repeated incitement,” Murphy said.

The ICHRP, Murphy said, continues to have confidence in the impartiality of the ICC and urged the body to resume its probe of the drug war killings and other human rights violations in the Philippines.

“We reiterate that the ICC should heed the call of these families to fully investigate the Duterte administration for these crimes against humanity so that, finally, justice may be served and impunity ended,” he said.

 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 




PROTECTION AND PROMOTION OF HUMAN RIGHTS
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