21-7-2023 (MANILA) Philippines’ President Ferdinand Marcos Jr has announced that his government will not cooperate with the International Criminal Court (ICC) investigation into the thousands of killings committed during the ‘war on drugs’ initiated by his predecessor. The President maintained that the ICC has no jurisdiction over the Southeast Asian country, which withdrew from the ICC in March 2019.
Addressing the media on Friday, Marcos stated that “We will not cooperate with them in any way, shape or form,” just days after the ICC rejected the Philippines’ attempt to block an investigation by the court’s prosecutors into the anti-narcotics campaign of former President Rodrigo Duterte.
According to rights groups, thousands of people were killed during anti-drug operations that ended in shootouts during Duterte’s six-year term. While the police have officially acknowledged roughly 6,200 deaths, they have rejected accusations of systematic executions and cover-ups.
Marcos argued that the alleged crimes must be dealt with in the country as they were committed in Philippine territory. The justice ministry has promised that its own investigation into the drugs war will be fair.
“We continue to defend the sovereignty of the Philippines and question the jurisdiction of the ICC in their investigations here in the Philippines,” Marcos added.
Although the Philippines is no longer a signatory to the international tribunal, the ICC’s top prosecutor has said the court does have jurisdiction because the country was a party at the time the alleged crimes were committed.
