黑料社

MANILA, Philippines 鈥擳he Philippines has no duty to cooperate with the International Criminal Court (ICC) in its investigation into the alleged human-rights abuses committed during former President Rodrigo Duterte鈥檚 war on drugs, Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra said Tuesday.

鈥淭he Philippines is not legally and morally bound to cooperate with the ICC,鈥� Guevarra said in a statement made after the ICC鈥檚 Appeals Chamber rejected the country鈥檚 request to suspend the ICC Prosecutor鈥檚 probe.

READ: ICC rejects PH plea to stop drug war victims from commenting on case

Describing it as an 鈥渋ndictment against our entire legal system,鈥� Guevarra said 鈥渋t encroaches on our sovereignty as an independent and law-abiding nation.鈥�

鈥淚t tends to humiliate us in the eyes of the international community, and this affront is irreversible and incorrectible even if we eventually win on the merits of our appeal,鈥� he added.

Guevarra said the ruling 鈥渉as placed the Philippines in the same category as rogue nations where the rule of law is not respected and has humiliated the country in the eyes of the international community.鈥�

The ICC鈥檚 investigation centers on allegations of extrajudicial killings and other human rights violations committed during the country鈥檚 war on drugs, which began in 2016.

Duterte withdrew the country from the聽ICC聽 in 2019 after Prosecutor Karim Khan鈥檚 predecessor Fatou Bensouda opened a preliminary probe into his聽drug聽crackdown.

But while the Philippines has pulled out of the ICC, the latter still retains jurisdiction over crimes committed while the country was a state party as provided under the Rome Statute that created the ICC.

Based on the government鈥檚 鈥淩eal Numbers PH鈥� program, around 6,200 drug personalities were killed in official police operations as of May 2022. However, human rights groups believed the number could be higher, citing deaths attributed to vigilantes and fights among drug dealers.

RELATED STORY:

PH formally asks ICC not to reopen drug war probe

JPV/abc