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MANILA, Philippines – Senator Francis Pangilinan said Tuesday that it was “a little worrying” that the International Criminal Court (ICC) “took more than 4 [four] years of daily murder ”under the Duterte administration’s war on drugs to find“ reasonable grounds to believe ”that crimes against humanity were committed in the brutal campaign against illegal drugs.
“It is not a surprise,” Pangilinan said in a statement, referring to the latest findings from the ICC Prosecutor’s Office.
“However, it is a bit concerning that it took them more than 4 years of daily killings to find a ‘reasonable base’. Perhaps if they had acted earlier, thousands of lives could have been saved, ”he added.
In her report released Monday, ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda noted that, in addition to drug-related killings, some people were allegedly subjected to severe mistreatment and abuse before being killed by unidentified state agents and assailants. , after being detained or abducted, and while in custody before their death.
LEE: The ICC finds a ‘reasonable basis’ to believe that the crimes against humanity committed in Duterte’s war on drugs
It also cited reports showing that in some incidents, members of the law enforcement agencies raped women who were apparently targeted because of their personal relationships with people allegedly involved in drug trafficking.
The ICC prosecutor said her office will decide whether to request authorization to open an investigation into the situation in the country in the first half of 2021.
An ‘understatement’
Senator Risa Hontiveros, meanwhile, voiced her support for the latest findings of the ICC prosecutor on the brutal war on drugs.
“A reasonable base is the underestimation of the last 4 years. Still, I strongly hope that the recent findings of the International Criminal Court (ICC) will finally bring justice to the victims of this administration’s brutal war on drugs, ”Hontiveros said in a separate statement.
The recent ICC report offers “a new hope for justice and humanity, as we continue to commemorate all those killed by the bloody ‘tokhang,'” according to the senator.
This, as noted by the death of 17-year-old Kian De Los Santos, whose murder “ignited national outrage in various sectors.”
“Let’s not forget that our innocent young people, like Kian, are helpless victims of this administration’s disproportionate response to what is actually a public health problem,” Hontiveros said.
“The ICC’s statement that they hope to open an investigation in the first half of 2021 is a positive development for anyone fighting human rights abuses in the Philippines. The demand for accountability for these extrajudicial executions has been a long time coming, ”he added.
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