‘Bad political move not to cooperate with ICC probe’
M A N I L A — A n International Criminal Court’s ( ICC) assistant to counsel and human rights lawyer cautioned President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. that refusing to cooperate with the ICC’s investigation into his predecessor’s controversial war on drugs would be a bad political move.
According t o l awyer Kristina Conti, Marcos’ continued snubbing of the ICC investigation against former president Rodrigo Duterte and the key figures in the drug war would be unwise on domestic and international political fronts.
“Now, the surveys indicate that the majority of the people support the ICC’s investigation and rejoining it. Marcos needs to listen to the pulse of the people,” Conti told INQUIRER. net in an interview.
The lawyer was referring to the December 2023 Social Weather Stations survey, which showed that 53 percent of Filipinos agree that the ICC
must investigate the alleged killings and human rights violations under the Duterte administration’s war on drugs.
It also showed that 56 percent of Filipinos agree that the Philippine government must allow t he I CC t o
investigate the allegations.
Conti, who is also a lawyer for the families of drug war victims, further said that Filipinos favor accountability – something that the President needs to recognize and uphold.
“If he doesn’t hold them
accountable, he would face backlash. Why doesn’t he want to cooperate with the ICC? If you analyze further, it is to shield Duterte and others from accountability. He should be wary of that,” the ICC assistant