Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte delivered a speech at the 25th International Conference on the Future of Asia in Tokyo, Japan, on May 31, 2019. (Photo courtesy of Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty Images)
Documents released on Friday show that the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) Karim Khan has suspended investigations into Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte for alleged human rights violations during the drug fight.
In September, judges of the International Criminal Court approved an investigation into the activities of thousands of suspected drug dealers. Activists said that many people were executed by law enforcement agencies with the president’s acquiescence.
The Philippine authorities stated that the killing was in self-defense and the International Criminal Court has no right to intervene.
According to court documents, Khan wrote that Manila had filed an extension request on November 10. If the government is conducting its own investigation and prosecution of the same behavior, they can ask the International Criminal Court to postpone the case.
“The prosecution temporarily suspended investigation activities while assessing the scope and impact of the extension request,” Khan wrote, adding that it will seek more information from the Philippines.
The Duterte administration has repeatedly stated that it will not cooperate with the International Criminal Court. Duterte withdrew the Philippines from the International Criminal Court in 2018, but the court has the power to investigate crimes committed during his membership in Manila until 2019.
In its nearly two years of existence, the International Criminal Court has convicted five people for war crimes and crimes against humanity. They are all African militia leaders from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mali and Uganda.
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