Int'l criminal court should probe Duterte's war on drugs
"The time has come for the ICC to open a preliminary
examination – the first step toward a full investigation – into
allegations of the extrajudicial killings of as many as 3,000 suspected
drug-dealers and users since Duterte became President last June," said
Alex Whiting, a Harvard Law professor and former ICC official, in a blog
posted on Just Security on Monday, October 3.
He said the killings are “committed as part of a
widespread or systematic attack directed against any civilian
population” and thus constitute crimes against humanity under the Rome
Statute.
"The appalling announcement of President Rodrigo Duterte
of the Philippines that he would like 'to slaughter' 3 million drug
addicts in his country, much as 'Hitler massacred three million Jews,'
(never mind that it was in fact six million), requires an immediate
response from the International Criminal Court (ICC)," he added.
Whiting hopes that an urgent action from ICC can "contribute to the prevention of crimes."
"Opening a preliminary examination now does not commit the
ICC to any ultimate course of action: it could subsequently decide or
not decide to begin a full investigation. Starting an inquiry now,
however, would unquestionably send a strong signal to Duterte that the
day may come when he will have to answer for any crimes he has
committed, ordered, tolerated or encouraged in the Philippines," Whiting
said.
The ICC investigates genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. Whiting previously served the ICC to oversee all of its investigations.
ICC’s latest conviction was in March 2016, when it declared former Congolese politician Jean-Pierre Bemba guilty of knowingly commanding a militia that committed mass murder and rape against neighboring Central African Republic.
(source:http://www.rappler.com/nation/148243-icc-probe-duterte-drugs-war)
Walang komento:
Mag-post ng isang Komento