DEMAND JUSTICE AND ACCOUNTABILITY! END IMPUNITY! PROSECUTE DUTERTE!
The Asia-Pacific Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (APCHRP) lauds the decision of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to deny the Philippine government’s appeal to stop the investigation on the drug war-related killings and the documented ‘Davao Death Squad’ under the administration of Rodrigo Duterte. The decisive ruling is a huge step towards justice and accountability for the victims and families of Duterte’s crimes against the Filipino people.
Given that Marcos Jr., Duterte’s coddler, is in power, the international court’s decision enables the necessary investigation and prosecution of Duterte and other masterminds behind the Tokhang-style killings as an antidote to the years of impunity, state terror, and violence the government has inflicted upon its citizens. With an ineffective domestic justice system serving injustice to the poor and dissenters, investigating Duterte and his cohorts is a concrete message by the international community to improve the human rights situation in the country.
If it is really serious in its pronouncements about committing to human rights, we urge the Philippine government to drop its case and let the ICC investigate human rights violations sanctioned by powerful politicians such as the Dutertes. Although we expect that Marcos Jr. will still protect and coddle Duterte in his State of the Nation Address (SONA), it is worth posing the challenge for the public to collectively fight for justice and resist state violence.
Organized and persistent in the last five years, we also recognize the efforts by the family and lawyers of the victims and their organizations and partners to exact accountability and justice. We hope that the victorious ruling will inspire us to continue defending our human rights and resisting drug-related murders and state terrorism that have continued from Duterte to the Marcos Jr. government. May the spirit of perseverance fuel the people’s struggle for justice and accountability in different avenues—ICC proceedings, Philippine courts, and streets.
Ultimately, we demand the Marcos Jr. administration to stop the killings, especially drug-related and state-sanctioned murders of the poor and the dissenters. With the SONA upcoming on Monday, the APCHRP stand in solidarity with the Filipino people in demanding justice and accountability from the Marcos Jr. administration by protesting in the streets in support of the victims, their families, and the millions of Filipinos victimized by state-sponsored killings through its anti-people policies.
