The International Criminal Court (ICC) has formally authorized an official investigation into alleged crimes against humanity during Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs.
This comes as Tens of thousands of people may have been killed in police drug operations in the Philippines since 2016, according to a United Nations report found last year.
Campaigners say they hope the probe will mark the beginning of the end to impunity in a crackdown that rights groups say has killed dozens of children.
The ICC said in a statement on Wednesday that after considering the evidence of at least 204 victims, there’s “reasonable basis to proceed with an investigation, noting that specific legal element of the crime against humanity of murder” had been met.
The Hague-based tribunal added that “the so-called ‘war on drugs’ campaign cannot be seen as a legitimate law enforcement operation, and the killings neither as legitimate nor as mere excesses in an otherwise legitimate operation.”
The evidence suggests that a “widespread and systematic attack against the civilian population took place pursuant to or in furtherance of a state policy,” the ICC added.
Former ICC chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda recommended a full investigation into the allegations just before stepping down last June.
Officials reiterated on Thursday that Duterte wouldn’t cooperate because the Philippines was no longer a member of the ICC.
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