(Eagle News) — Senator Leila de Lima on Friday hailed the International Criminal Court’s decision to conduct a “preliminary examination” of the allegations against the drug war.
“The decision of the prosecutor of the (ICC) to start a preliminary examination on the Philippine situation—preliminary to an investigation that will eventually charge this government, its leaders and all those complicit in the mass murder of thousands in its so-called drug war—is the fulfillment of a hope and a dream,” the senator, who is detained on drug-related cases, said in a statement.
She added that this “might actually be the beginning of the end for the (President Rodrigo) Duterte kakistocracy.”
“They might actually lie low for a while and order a temporary stop to the extra-judicial killings by the PNP death squads, in the hope to assuage the ICC Prosecutor that it is doing something to stop the killings, or even to fool her that there is actually no government-sponsored and funded program of social mass extermination,” De Lima said.
Even then, she said “these cosmetic options will not free Duterte from the reality that sooner or later, he might actually be charged with the mass murder of civilians as a crime against humanity under the Rome Statute.”
On Thursday, ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said the tribunal will start a “preliminary examination” of the allegations against the drug war contained in a communication filed by lawyer Jude Sabio–and supplemented by Senator Antonio Trillanes IV and Magdalo Rep. Gary Alejano—last year.
The complaint alleged that Duterte was committing crimes against humanity with his drug war.
Presidential Harry Roque said the President welcomes the initial review, noting that it was an “opportunity” for him to prove that the drug war was a “lawful legitimate operation,” among others.
