MANILA, Philippines– The Malacañang announced that Philippine government will not intervene as former President Rodrigo Duterte and his team prepare to defend themselves against charges of crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court (ICC).
A hearing for the confirmation of charges is scheduled for September 23.
The charges against Duterte are related to his controversial war on drugs campaign, which resulted in thousands of deaths.
Human rights organizations and critics have alleged that the operations involved extrajudicial killings.
The ICC’s proceedings aim to investigate these allegations and determine whether there is sufficient evidence to support charges of crimes against humanity.
The ICC’s involvement began after a preliminary examination was authorized to investigate Duterte’s war on drugs.
The examination was prompted by reports and complaints from both local and international human rights groups.
The ICC seeks to determine if actions taken during Duterte’s presidency meet the criteria of crimes against humanity, as outlined in the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the ICC.
The ICC’s decision to schedule a confirmation of charges hearing suggests that its preliminary examination found enough evidence to proceed with further investigation.
