Duterte pulls out of Rome statute

PRESIDENT WON’T COOPERATE WITH ICC UN commissioner says Philippines president needs psychiatric exam.

The Philippines said yesterday it is withdrawing from the International Criminal Court (ICC) due to what President Rodrigo Duterte called “outrageous” attacks by UN officials and violations of due process by the ICC.

The decision marks an aboutface by Duterte, who initially welcomed a preliminary ICC examination announced last month into a complaint, filed by a Philippine lawyer, that accuses him and top officials of crimes against humanity committed during a war on drugs that has killed thousands of people.

A 15-page statement, dated March 13 and not signed by Duterte, said the withdrawal from the ICC’s founding treaty, the Rome Statute, was “effective immediately”.

That was confirmed separately by Duterte’s spokesperson and his legal counsel, who both said the ICC’s examination was part of a plot by the president’s enemies.

Duterte’s statement said the withdrawal was because of “baseless, unprecedented and outrageous attacks” by UN officials and what he said was an attempt by the ICC prosecutor to seek jurisdiction over him “in violation of due process and presumption of innocence”.

ICC spokesperson Fadi el Abdallah referred most questions to the court’s prosecutors, who could not immediately be reached for comment.

Duterte’s war on drugs has caused international alarm and fierce criticism from some UN rapporteurs and officials, including UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein who, on Friday, said Duterte should submit himself for a psychiatric examination.

The maverick former mayor has sparred relentlessly with critics and refused to change his approach or accept that police may have executed suspected dealers, as activists allege.

Police deny allegations of murder and cover-ups and say they killed about 4 100 drug dealers in shoot-outs. Police say they have no ties to armed men responsible for the deaths of about 2 300 drug users and peddlers.

Duterte, who is hugely popular among Filipinos, has no love for the ICC, calling it “useless” and “hypocritical”.

He at first dared the ICC to indict him, saying he was willing to rot in jail for his people. He then said he would prefer a firing squad to prison.

He has recently changed his tune, telling security forces not to cooperate should there be any international investigation.