Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 24) — The European Parliament has urged the Philippines to rejoin the International Criminal Court (ICC) and allow the tribunal’s investigation into the country’s controversial war on drugs.
“We’ll be very happy to see the Philippines rejoining the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, to which all members of the European Union are signatories,” Hannah Neumann, a member of the European Parliament, said during their media briefing in Manila on Friday.
“It would clearly reinforce the government’s commitment to fight impunity,” she added.
Neumann also noted that it would be “very beneficial” for the Philippines to cooperate with the ICC’s planned probe.
“We strongly urged the Philippines to make use of the potential that may come [with the court],” the official stressed.
The Philippines’ withdrawal from the Rome Statute, the treaty that governs the ICC, formally took effect in March 2019 under the administration of then President Rodrigo Duterte — who launched the flagship anti-drug campaign.
READ: Duterte wants other countries to withdraw from ICC
The European Parliament’s delegates, meanwhile, lauded the current administration’s plan to shift the focus of the drug war to prevention and rehabilitation.
However, they also noted the number of alleged extrajudicial killings in the country.
“And we underscore the importance of investigations into each alleged case of extrajudicial killing to ensure accountability of perpetrators and to fight impunity,” Neumann said.
During their visit to Manila, the European lawmakers also met with various government agencies, including the Department of Justice, to tackle human rights issues and possible areas of cooperation.
