Complaint against Duterte, aides at ICC
They have been accused of crimes against humanity in an anti-drugs crackdown
APhilippines lawyer filed a complaint against President Rodrigo Duterte and senior officials at the International Criminal Court (ICC) yesterday, accusing them of crimes against humanity in a nationwide anti-drugs crackdown.
Attorney Jude Sabio said in the 77-page complaint that Duterte “repeatedly, unchangingly and continuously” committed crimes against humanity and that under him, killing drug suspects and other criminals has become “best practice”.
Sabio is the lawyer for Edgar Matobato, a man who has testified in the Philippines Senate that he was part of a hit squad that operated on Duterte’s orders.
It is the first publicly known communication to the ICC against Duterte and is based on the testimony of Matobato and retired policeman Arturo Lascanas, statements from rights groups and media reports, including a Reuters series on the killings.
The complaint alleges that Duterte and 11 government officials are liable for murder and calls for an investigation, arrest warrants and a trial.
Lawmakers found no proof of Matobato’s Senate testimony, which the president’s aides have dismissed as fabrication. Almost 9,000 people have been killed since Duterte took office last summer. Police claim a third of those killings were in self-defence during legitimate police operations. Rights groups say many of the remaining two-thirds were committed by vigilantes cooperating with the police.
Duterte has persistently denied he is involved with any death squad and said that his orders to kill drug suspects come with the caveat that police should operate within the bounds of the law.
Ernesto Abella, a spokesman for Duterte, said last week authorities “follow operational protocols” and those who breached procedures were made to answer before the law.