120 countries commit to ICC mandate, Duterte trashes membership

THE PRESIDENT of the Assembly of States Parties, O-Gon Kwon (from the Republic of Korea), has expressed regret over the withdrawal of the Philippines from the Rome Statute, the founding treaty of the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Kwon said the Assembly of States Parties, comprising more than 120 members from all regions of the world, is fully committed to the Court’s mandate – to help put an end to impunity for the most serious crimes of concern to the international community.

“I sincerely hope that the departure of the Philippines from the Rome Statute is only temporary and that it will re-join the Rome Statute family in the future. Encouraging universal adherence to the Rome Statute is key in strengthening our collective efforts to promote accountability for atrocity crimes and the rule of law,” he said in a statement posted on the ICC website.

Kwon said the ICC relies on the continued support of the international community to ensure its effectiveness in the fight against impunity. The Assembly of States Parties is the management oversight and legislative body of the ICC. It is comprised of representatives of all States that have ratified and acceded to the Rome Statute.

The Philippines’ departure from the ICC on March 17 came in the wake of its preliminary examination into President Rodrigo Duterte’s bloody war on drugs that had killed thousands of suspected drug pushers.

The ICC probe will determine if there is reasonable basis to proceed with an investigation into charges of crimes against humanity.

Since Duterte was elected in 2016, some 12,000 suspected drug users and pushers were killed in police operations or had been executed by motorcycle gunmen. Duterte has publicly said that he intends to kill more drug suspects until he steps down in 2022. (Mindanao Examiner)

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