Marcos says Philippines will not ‘lift a finger’ to help ICC’s probe into Duterte’s drug war
- President Marcos Jnr said the investigation into the brutal anti-narcotics campaign was a ‘threat’ to Manila’s sovereignty
- Rights groups say thousands of drug users and peddlers were gunned down during the crackdown overseen by former leader Duterte
Marcos said ICC investigators can come and visit “as ordinary people” but the government will not assist them.
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Marcos’ remarks followed a statement made by his justice minister who last week told Kyodo News the government may allow an ICC probe if legal procedures were followed, a move which Duterte’s camp maintained was illegal.
“Allowing the ICC to conduct its probe in our country, in brazen violation of the constitution, is an absolute surrender of our birthright as a sovereign nation,” Salvador Panelo, Duterte’s former presidential spokesperson, said in a message.
The Philippines officially withdrew from the international tribunal in 2019 after then president Duterte questioned its authority to investigate the campaign against illegal drugs that killed thousands of people.
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Police say they killed 6,200 dealers who resisted arrest during anti-drug operations during Duterte’s term. Many thousands more users and peddlers were gunned down during the crackdown, in what authorities said were vigilante killings. Rights groups and some victims accuse the police of systematic cover-ups and executions, which they deny.
In November, Marcos said he was studying the Philippines’ return to the ICC’s fold, months after saying he would cut off contact with the tribunal.
