The International Criminal Court (ICC) has suspended its investigation into suspected rights abuses committed under Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's "war on drugs" following a request from Manila.The Hague-based court in September authorised a probe of the campaign that has left thousands of people dead, saying it resembled an illegitimate and systematic attack on civilians.Duterte was elected in 2016 on a campaign promise to get rid of the Philippines' drug problem,

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday filed to contest the Senate elections next year, seeking a way to remain in politics while facing an international probe into his deadly drug war.Duterte, who is constitutionally barred from seeking a second six-year term, submitted his candidacy at the Commission on Elections office, minutes before a deadline to join the race. A lawyer submitted the paperwork on behalf of the president, according to documents seen by AFP, quelling spec

On 11 May 2017, Crisanto Lozano set off early in the morning from his home in Manila. He was going to renew his security guard licence, a requirement for his profession. By afternoon, he still hadn’t returned, nor was he picking up his phone. Then the family realised that Crisanto’s younger brother, Juan Carlos, was also missing.The next day, they heard news that two bodies had been discovered nearby.

The new prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) said Thursday he will "uncover the truth" in his investigation into Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte's so-called war on drugs.Duterte said earlier this week he would prepare his defence against the probe by the Hague-based tribunal into the anti-narcotics campaign, which rights groups estimate has killed tens of thousands of people, after previously insisting he would not cooperate."My investigation will see

President Rodrigo Duterte will not cooperate with the International Criminal Court's (ICC) probe into the Philippines' drug war, his lawyer said Thursday, after its judges found the crackdown could be a crime against humanity.ICC judges authorised Wednesday a full-blown investigation into Duterte's anti-narcotics campaign, which rights groups estimate has killed tens of thousands of people, saying it resembled an illegitimate and systematic attack on civilians.Duterte "wil

The International Criminal Court (ICC) on Wednesday authorised a full probe into Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte's "war on drugs", saying it resembled an illegitimate and systematic attack on civilians.Judges said there was a "reasonable basis" to believe that the crime against humanity of murder had been committed in the crackdown, which has left thousands of people dead.Duterte pulled Manila out of the Hague-based court in 2019 after it launched a preliminary

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte hailed his signature drug war policy Monday, but lamented there was a "long way" to go in the controversial crackdown that has killed thousands of people.In his last State of the Nation address before stepping down next year, Duterte frequently went off script and struggled to follow the autocue as he railed for nearly three hours against communists, child abusers and corrupt officials.As expected, Duterte used the annual speech to boast about th

The Philippines' top judges have ruled the International Criminal Court (ICC) can prosecute "government actors" for alleged crimes committed before the country withdrew from the tribunal –contradicting President Rodrigo Duterte's assertion it has no jurisdiction.The Supreme Court ruling – made in March but released in full to the public on Wednesday – comes as prosecutors at the world's only permanent war crimes court seek a full-blown investigation into Duterte'

The latest report on Monday (14 December, 2020) by the International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor Fatou Bensouda stated that there is “reasonable basis to believe” that the Philippines has committed crimes against humanity in connection with President Rodrigo Duterte’s so-called war on drugs operation. However, Bensouda’s report stressed that her office "anticipates deciding on whether to seek authorisation to open an investigation into the situation in the Philippines in the

When the Cold War ended, many pundits anticipated a new era in which geo-economics would determine geopolitics. As economic integration progressed, they predicted, the rules-based order would take root globally. Countries would comply with international law or incur high costs.Today, such optimism looks more than a little naive.