Int’l rights groups call on Marcos to rejoin ICC
International human rights groups have intensified pressure for the Philippines to rejoin the Rome Statute, the founding treaty that formed the International Criminal Court (ICC), following the arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte.
They also called on the Marcos administration to cooperate with the ICC as Duterte, who was to arrive in The Hague on Wednesday night Manila time, faces trial for alleged crimes against humanity committed under his so-called war on drugs.
“[Amnesty Internationa] calls on the Philippine government to rejoin the Rome Statute and cooperate fully with the ICC’s investigation, including if further arrest warrants are issued against other former and current Philippine government officials,” former United Nations Special Rapporteur Agnes Callamard, now the secretary general of Amnesty International, said in an X post on Tuesday night.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) also joined in the call saying Duterte’s arrest and transfer to The Hague is an affirmation of the relevance of the ICC’s role and “underscores its significance in ensuring accountability for grave crimes.”
“The Philippine government should also rejoin the ICC, a step that an increasing number of Filipinos support,” HRW said on Tuesday.
The Philippines formally withdrew from the Rome Statute, the framework forming the ICC, in March 2019, on the orders of then President Duterte. This was a year after the Philippine government submitted its intention to withdraw to the United Nations secretary general.
President Marcos, Duterte’s successor, was among the senators who voted for the ratification of the Rome Statute in 2011.
Impunity is not forever
Callamard also said Duterte’s arrest is a warning that even the most powerful “can and will face justice, wherever they are in the world.”
“To all those in power now who think they are above the law—think twice, think carefully,” Callamard said. “Time will come: you will not enjoy impunity forever, no matter how powerful you are now.”
International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP) chair Peter Murphy said Duterte’s arrest sends a “resounding message” that crimes against humanity will “not go unpunished.”
“Duterte once believed he was untouchable … There is always the possibility that the international community will finally act against leaders who trample on human rights and international humanitarian law. Impunity has limits,” said Murphy in a statement.
Revoke repressive policies
Bryony Lau, HRW deputy director for Asia, said the Marcos administration should also start correcting the harsh drug control policies that were crafted under Duterte.
“President Marcos has begun to chip away at the long-standing impunity for drug-related killings in the Philippines. He should follow through by rescinding Duterte’s orders that unleashed the ‘war on drugs,’ and prioritize comprehensive reforms of the Philippines police,” Lau said.
Punitive actions continue
David Borden, executive director of Washington-based StoptheDrugWar.org, also noted that drug-related extrajudicial killings in the country continue with a rate of “near one per day.”
His group expressed hope that Duterte’s arrest “will be only the first in this [ICC] investigation, not the last.”
Monitoring done by the University of the Philippines Third World Studies on drug-related killings, called the “Dahas Project,” has recorded that a total of 928 people died either in violent police operations or were killed by person linked to the drug trade in the first three years of Mr. Marcos’ term.
The breakdown is as follows: 342 from 2022 to 2023; 361 from 2023 to 2024; and 225 from 2024 to March 7 this year.
Amnesty International, meanwhile, observed the antinarcotics campaign under Marcos remained “punitive” as people in drug detention and rehabilitation centers were still being subjected to punishment and compulsory drug tests.
