Duterte slams ICC prosecutor’s plan to reopen Philippines drug war probe
Manila, Philippines Reuters Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s office said on Saturday it was “exasperated” with International Criminal Court Prosecutor Karim Khan and his plan to resume an investigation into killings during the government’s crackdown on drugs. Khan said on Friday that a deferral of the ICC’s probe sought by Manila was not warranted and the […]
Philippines’ Pacquiao to fight drugs “the right way” if elected president
Manila, The PhilippinesReuters Philippines boxing icon and presidential candidate Manny Pacquiao said he will welcome an international probe into President Rodrigo Duterte’s bloody war on drugs if elected, and promised to fight narcotics “the right way”, with due process, not street shootings. In remarks this week to foreign journalists, Pacquiao, a former multi-division world boxing […]
Anger among Philippine victims’ families as ICC suspends war on drugs probe
Manila, The PhilippinesReuters Relatives of people killed in the Philippines’ war on drugs have accused the government of attempting to evade accountability by asking the International Criminal Court to defer its investigation. The ICC, which in September approved an investigation into President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs in which thousands of people have died, on […]
ICC prosecutor suspends probe into Philippines drugs war
The Hague, The Netherlands/Manila, The PhilippinesReuters The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court 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 […]
Relatives of Philippine drug war victims alarmed by Duterte’s talk of staying on
Manila, The PhilippinesReuters Philippine activists and the families of victims in a drug war that has killed thousands view with dread the possibility of President Rodrigo Duterte staying on as vice-president for six more years after his time in the top job ends next year. The constitution bars a re-election bid by Duterte, 76, but […]
Philippines’ Duterte will not cooperate with ICC probe into bloody anti-drugs campaign
Manila, The PhilippinesReuters Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte will not cooperate with an investigation into the country’s bloody war on drugs planned by the International Criminal Court, his spokesperson said on Tuesday while defending the administration’s record on human rights. Rights groups and critics of the drug killings have welcomed the step by the ICC, saying […]
At drug war frontline, Pope’s envoy says Mexico hushed him
Aguililla, Mexico Reuters The Vatican’s Ambassador to Mexico on Friday said officials three years ago had asked him not to talk about the extreme violence that has swept the country during more than a decade of fighting between drug cartels, so as not to scare away tourists. The envoy, Franco Coppola, made the comments while […]
Churches body urged Philippines Government to address “worsening human rights situation”
The World Council of Churches has urged the Philippines Government to address the “worsening human rights situation and increasing violence and impunity in the country”. In a statement issued this week, the WCC’s Central Committee said they were “deeply alarmed by the escalating violence, extrajudicial killings and other human rights abuses in the Philippines in […]
Catholic bishops to “walk for life” in statement against Philippines drug war
Roman Catholic bishops in the Philippines will join in a “walk for life” later this month in a step designed to show their indignation over drug-related killings in the country. UCAnews reports that Archbishop Socrates Villegas of Lingayen-Dagupan, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, urged Catholics to find the “courage” to join in […]