Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 15) — Outgoing International Criminal Court Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda has requested for an authorization to conduct an investigation into the alleged crime against humanity committed during the Duterte administration’s war on drugs.
“[T]he Prosecution hereby requests authorization to open an investigation into the situation in the Republic of the Philippines between 1 November 2011 and 16 March 2019,” read the request with the pre-trial chamber (PTC).
“The Prosecution submits that there is a reasonable basis to believe that the crime against humanity of murder was committed from at least 1 July 2016 to 16 March 2019 in the context of the Philippine government’s ‘war on drugs’ campaign,” it added.
Bensouda also said in her request that “police and other government officials planned, ordered, and sometimes directly perpetrated extrajudicial killings.”
“State officials at the highest levels of government also spoke publicly and repeatedly in support of extrajudicial killings and created a culture of impunity for those who committed them,” she added.
According to the ICC prosecutor, around 12,000 to 30,000 civilians were killed from July 2016 to March 2019 in connection with the government’s anti-illegal drug campaign. Government data showed that 6,117 individuals died during anti-drug operations as of April 30 this year.
Although the Philippines withdrew from the Rome Statute of the ICC in 2019, Bensouda said in another statement that the court retains jurisdiction over crimes that were alleged to have occurred during the period when it was still a state party to the Rome Statute.
The Duterte administration is expected to face a more intense scrutiny from the international community if the PTC approves the request of the ICC Office of Prosecutor.
Moreover, Bensouda said her successor, Karim Khan, will continue the work as her term will end shortly.
CNN Philippines correspondent Anjo Alimario and multi-platform news writer Vince Ferreras contributed to this report
In her request for authorization for an investigation, Bensouda says "police and other government officials planned, ordered, and sometimes directly perpetrated extrajudicial killings." @cnnphilippines pic.twitter.com/daxuEkfrWf
— Anjo Cagmat Alimario (@anjocalimario) June 14, 2021
