Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte. AP FILE PHOTO
President Rodrigo Duterte is willing to be investigated by the International Criminal Court (ICC) as Malacañang reiterated that the spate of killings in the Philippines was not state-sanctioned.
“Drug-related killings, including vigilante killings, are not state-sanctioned. Many of those who died were killed during legitimate police operations which are currently undergoing investigation as directed by the President,“ Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said in a statement.
Andanar was responding to the comments of Fatou Bensouda, chief prosecutor of the ICC, saying the office would begin to “closely” monitor the developments in the country on reports of alleged extrajudicial killings.
“Even the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights who conducted a legislative probe on extrajudicial killings has been quoted as saying that ‘there is no proof that the killings were state-sponsored,’” he said.
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The Palace official said Duterte was open for an investigation.
“In any case, the President has articulated that he is willing to submit himself for an investigation before any body,” he said.
Duterte has sent an invitation to the United Nations, the United States and the European Union to come to the Philippines and probe the killings under his administration’s brutal war on illegal drugs.
On Friday, the chief prosecutor of the ICC said her office would begin to “closely” monitor the developments in the Philippines on reports of extrajudicial killings. RAM/rga