Former Senator Atty. Leila de Lima has expressed that the Philippines should cooperate with the International Criminal Court (ICC) regarding the investigation into the war on drugs campaign under former President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration.
In an interview with Bombo Radyo, de Lima stated that despite the Philippines’ withdrawal from the ICC, the country still has obligations under the Rome Statute of the ICC.
She emphasized that the ICC retains jurisdiction to investigate the war on drugs campaign since the Philippines was still a member of the ICC when Duterte’s campaign was conducted.
To recall, the Philippines ratified the Rome Statute on August 31, 2011, but withdrew on March 14, 2018, a month after former ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda announced the opening of a preliminary investigation into alleged crimes against humanity committed during the war on drugs campaign.