ICC defers probe on Philippine drug war
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THE HAGUE • The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) has suspended a probe, at Manila's request, into suspected rights abuses during Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's crackdown on drugs.
ICC judges approved a probe in September into the campaign in which thousands of suspected drug peddlers have died. Activists say many have been executed by law enforcement agencies with the tacit backing of the President.
The Philippine authorities say the killings were in self-defence and the ICC has no right to meddle.
Documents released by the ICC and confirmed by Philippine officials yesterday showed that Manila filed the deferral request on Nov 10. Governments can ask the ICC to defer a case if they are conducting their own investigations and prosecutions for the same acts.
Mr Duterte, 76, pulled his country out of the ICC in 2018.
The ICC has convicted five men of war crimes and crimes against humanity, all African militia leaders from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mali and Uganda.
REUTERS
