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Philippines' Marcos won't aid ICC in 'war on drugs' probe

July 21, 2023

The refusal comes days after the ICC said it would relaunch its probe into an anti-drug crackdown that killed thousands. Manila and the ICC are at loggerheads over the question of jurisdiction.

https://p.dw.com/p/4UDPR
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr
President Marcos has continued attempts by his predecessor to block the ICC investigationImage: Sean Kilpatrick/empics/picture alliance

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. of the Philippines said on Friday that his government would not cooperate with the International Criminal Court's (ICC) investigation into the deadly "war on drugs" carried out by his predecessor.

Marcos said the ICC has no jurisdiction over the Philippines, just days after the court restarted its investigation into the thousands of killings committed under former President Rodrigo Duterte.

"We will not cooperate with them in any way, shape or form," Marcos told reporters.

Debate over jurisdiction

Marcos' refusal to cooperate mirrors that of his predecessor, who also argued that the ICC has no jurisdiction over the South-East Asian nation.

Under Duterte, the Philippines withdrew from the Hague-based court following the launch of the investigation into his deadly drugs war.

However, the ICC's top prosecutor has said it is investigating crimes carried out between 2016 and 2019 while the Philippines was still under its jurisdiction.

Marcos argued that the crimes should be prosecuted in the Philippines and his Justice Ministry has said it will carry out a fair investigation.

"We continue to defend the sovereignty of the Philippines and continue to question the jurisdiction of the ICC in their investigations here in the Philippines," Marcos said.

Following in Duterte's footsteps

On Tuesday, the ICC's court of appeals rejected an attempt by the Philippines to have the investigation thrown out.

This paved the way for the probe to start again, with investigators looking into the brutal crackdown on the drug trade in the country that Duterte launched after being elected president in 2016.

The ICC has put the death toll at somewhere between 16,000 and 30,000.

Philippine cafe keeps alive memory of 'drug war' victims

Marcos Jr, himself the son of the country's former dictator, has close connections to Duterte. His vice president is Duterte's daughter, Sara Duterte.

He has reiterated his predecessor's pledge not to allow ICC investigators into the country and said he has "no intention" of the Philippines rejoining the international court.

ab/sms (Reuters, EFE)