Former President Rodrigo Duterte's ruthless "war on drugs" left behind groups and families that welcomed the International Criminal Court's decision to continue its investigation into the Philippines, hoping for justice for suspected extrajudicial murders.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) confirmed its decision to continue its investigation into a campaign that resulted in the deaths of over 6,000 people, as recognized by the government, on Tuesday (Manila time).
Rights groups estimate that 30,000 people have died as a result of vigilantism and drug cartels.
Amy Jane Lee of Rise UP stated that they will continue to speak out, seek justice, and fight for families left orphaned and widowed by extrajudicial killings.
She noted that the country is no longer under Duterte's administration, but the killings continue, underscoring that the grief of the victims' families will not be relieved simply because the ICC judgment was made.
The relatives of the EJK victims and their activists have stated that they are willing to work with the ICC as it moves forward, with the decision increasing trust in accountability for the crimes.
The ICC postponed its investigation in November 2019—still within Duterte's presidency—after the Philippine government stated that it would investigate the fatalities.
The pre-trial chamber restarted its investigation in January after claiming the state's investigation was inadequate.
This prompted Philippine authorities to file an appeal against the verdict in March, claiming that the ICC had no jurisdiction over the country following Duterte's withdrawal from the Rome Statute on March 17, 2019.
The ICC denied the appeal. According to Article 127 of the Rome Statute, "a State shall not be discharged, by reason of its withdrawal, from the obligations arising from this Statute while it was a Party to the Statute."
