torsdag 17. juni 2021

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte rejects International Criminal Court probe into drug war killings

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte says he will not cooperate with an investigation of the South-East Asian nation's drug war killings proposed by the International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor. Rights groups and critics of the drug killings have welcomed the proposal, saying a full-scale investigation would bring justice closer for the families of thousands of people killed.

Despite concerns from the international community about the crackdown on drugs, Mr Duterte remains popular at home and many Filipinos back his tough stance on crime. "We will not cooperate because we are no longer a member," presidential spokesman Harry Roque told a news conference. Mr Duterte cancelled the Philippines' membership of the ICC's founding treaty in March 2018.