ICC Ruling a Victory for Victims of Duterte’s War Crimes against Humanity – APCHRP
The Asia-Pacific Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (APCHRP) applauds the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) decision to deny former President Rodrigo Duterte’s request for interim release. This decision is a victory for the families, relatives, and all Filipinos who fell victim to his bloody war on drugs.
The ICC’s ruling represents a significant step forward in the long struggle for justice and accountability in Duterte’s fake “war on drugs”. It is especially satisfying to see this ruling as the Duterte camp employed a range of theatrics and disinformation campaigns to win sympathy from their supporters; from claiming Duterte was “kidnapped” by the ICC, to feigning illness in a desperate bid to secure interim release. While such tactics might have worked in the Philippine judicial system, wherein many judges easily bend the knee to political elites like the Dutertes, it is refreshing to see the ICC take an objective view of the situation and see through the deception.
Such ailments in the Philippine court system makes it impossible for a powerful person like Duterte to be brought to justice. For years, victims’ families and human rights defenders have sought truth and redress amid the climate of fear and impunity that marked Duterte’s administration. Since Duterte’s term as president came to an end in 2022, it has been discovered that there has been widespread tampering and concealment of evidence in the fake “war on drugs”. We have heard stories of victims from the drug war being ruled to have died of pneumonia in their death certificates, despite having gunshot wounds in their skull or other parts of their bodies. This development renews hope that justice can finally be achieved, not only for those killed in the so-called war on drugs but also for all victims of state repression.
The ICC’s Pre-Trial Chamber I, which is handling the case on crimes against humanity, had strong grounds for denying Duterte’s request for temporary release. These include the risk that he might evade prosecution, intimidate witnesses, or repeat his crimes against the people. The decision is justified, as the Duterte family – including his daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte, and other relatives—have issued aggressive statements and threats against their critics, one of the reasons the ICC cited in rejecting Duterte’s request for interim release.
The APCHRP now calls on the ICC to also expedite the arrest of Duterte’s co-conspirators in the brutal and fake “war on drugs”.
These include other prominent names, such as Duterte’s former police chief now senator, Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa. No stone must be left unturned in this campaign to bring the human rights violators to justice. At the same time, there must also be accountability for the actions of Vice President Sara Duterte and her siblings, Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte and Congressman Paolo Duterte; for spreading disinformation regarding the ICC case, namely that the international court is politically-motivated or had ‘kidnapped’ the former president.
Furthermore, the APCHRP urges the Marcos Jr. administration to rejoin the ICC and to cease committing its own war crimes and human rights violations against the Filipino people. Leaders like Marcos Jr. and Duterte stand as obstacles to genuine justice and democracy, as the current administration continues the same pattern of repression and violence that began under Duterte.
The APCHRP also calls for the protection of witnesses in the war on drugs cases, as well as activists, dissenters, and all those who continue to speak out against human rights violations.
Finally, the APCHRP stands in solidarity with the families of victims and all organizations demanding that perpetrators of human rights violations be held fully accountable under international law.
