ICC on Duterte snide remarks: ‘No comment on political speeches’
Metro Manila, Philippines - The International Criminal Court (ICC) has declined to comment on Vice President Sara Duterte’s remarks that the tribunal colluded with the Marcos administration to arrest her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte.
"The ICC is a judicial institution. We don’t offer comments on political speeches,” said ICC spokesperson Fadi El Abdallah in a statement to NewsWatch Plus.
The younger Duterte issued the statement during the ‘Free Duterte Now’ rally in The Hague, Netherlands at the weekend.
In her speech, she said the ICC decided to prosecute her father for crimes against humanity for murder - with the help of the Marcos administration - despite questions over the number and nature of alleged extrajudicial killings.
“Alam ng ICC na ganyan ang estado ng kaso, pero pinilit pa rin nilang kunin si dating Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte. Hindi na nila makuha yun eh. Pero ano nangyari? Binigay siya ng administrasyon ni Marcos. Ginamit, nagkuntsaba ang ICC at ang administrasyon ni BBM. Gamitan tayo dito. Kailangan nyo ng kaso. Kailangan namin palayasin yan dito kasi talong-talo na kami sa politika,” she added.
[Translation: The ICC knows that this is the status of the case, but they still insisted on taking former President Rodrigo Duterte. They couldn’t get him anymore. But what happened? The Marcos administration gave him up. The ICC and the BBM administration colluded. They used each other. You needed a case. We needed to drive him out because we were losing politically.]
Speaking to the media, the vice president said the administration is using the ICC to make sure that the former president remains outside the country.
"Nagpapagamit ang ICC sa administrasyon ni - administrasyon ni Marcos at si Marcos naman ginagamit niyang ang ICC para malayo, makulong o mawala si dating pangulong Rodrigo Duterte sa ating bansa," she said.
[Translation: The ICC is allowing itself to be used by the Marcos administration, and Marcos is using the ICC to send former President Rodrigo Duterte far away, imprison him, or remove him from the country.]
Philippine authorities assisted the International Criminal Police Organization in arresting the former president on March 11 based on a warrant issued by the ICC.
