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Albert del Rosario, Conchita Carpio Morales, Antonio Carpio
MANILA, Philippines – Retired Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio will serve as legal advisor to former Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario and former Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales in their complaint to the International Criminal Court (ICC) against China .
“I am pleased to announce that Judge Tony Carpio has agreed to act as our attorney in this ICC case. Judge Carpio’s unmatched wisdom and experience in the South China Sea issue has increased our confidence in the case and will surely strengthen our chances at the ICC, ”del Rosario said in an online forum organized by ADR Stratbase Institute and Bower Group Asia. on Tuesday (September 16).
Additional information will be sent to the ICC within the week, he said.
Senior officials from China Communications Construction Corp., which played a role in building China’s artificial islands in the South China Sea, will also be included as respondents in the new submission to the ICC, he added.
Del Rosario and Morales filed the communication in March 2019, with Chinese President Xi Jinping and other officials as defendants for alleged “crimes against humanity” committed against Filipinos in the Western Philippine Sea.
The two former government officials accused China of depriving thousands of Filipino fishermen of access to their own resources and engaging in massive land reclamation activities that resulted in devastating environmental damage in the Western Philippine Sea.
The ICC dismissed the complaint in December, saying it has no territorial or personal jurisdiction over the case.
But Del Rosario said he believes the ICC has “a solid foundation to move forward with our case.”
“The ultimate purpose of our ICC case is to hold President Xi Jinping and other Chinese officials criminally responsible and to be sentenced to prison in accordance with ICC statute,” he said.
The former top Philippine diplomat called on Southeast Asian neighbors to take similar action against China.
“We urge our neighbors in the South China Sea, who are also aggrieved by China’s actions, to send similar communications to the ICC to hold Chinese officials to account for their atrocities,” he said.
“If our case goes forward, arrest warrants can be issued against the people we identify as responsible,” Del Rosario said.
“This effectively prevents people like Xi Jinping and Wang Yi from traveling to ICC states such as various European countries, Australia, Japan and the Republic of Korea because those countries will be bound by ICC statute to enforce orders of the ICC. arrest against them. ,” he said.
EDV
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