ICC probe of Rodrigo Duterte will continue
Prosecutor to press on with investigation of crimes against humanity in spite of Philippines pulling out as member of International Criminal Court
Amsterdam/Manila — The International Criminal Court’s (ICC's) prosecutor says her examination into possible crimes against humanity committed in the Philippines will go on, despite its withdrawal from the court. The Philippines’s withdrawal from the Hague court was formalised on Sunday. Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said in a statement the ICC continued to have jurisdiction over possible crimes committed during the period the country was a member. Bensouda has been examining whether thousands of extrajudicial killings allegedly committed during President Rodrigo Duterte's crackdown on drugs are sufficient to warrant a formal investigation. Duterte's spokesperson said the ICC had no basis on which to continue its preliminary examination and the government would not cooperate with it. “They cannot enter here if that is their purpose, to investigate. You are already intruding into our sovereignty,” presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo told a news conference on Tuesday. More than 5,000 su...
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