HOUSE Deputy Minority Leader and Mamamayang Liberal (ML) Partylist Representative Leila M. de Lima on Thursday lauded the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) Pre-Trial Chamber (PTC) for rejecting former President Rodrigo Duterte’s challenge to its jurisdiction over the extrajudicial killings (EJKs) linked to the Davao Death Squad (DDS) and the government’s bloody war on drugs.
“The decision of the ICC PTC on the issue of jurisdiction over the EJKs committed by the DDS in Davao and by the Duterte Administration during the drug war is most welcome as it is most just,” De Lima said in a statement. “We are closer to justice and accountability with this decision of the PTC.”
De Lima, a long-time critic of Duterte and his anti-drug campaign, noted that while the former president may still appeal the decision to the ICC Appeals Chamber, his efforts are “already a lost cause.”
“After the rejection of his plea for interim release and now this, soon the PTC will likewise dismiss his move to suspend his trial on his bogus claim of mental incapacity,” she said.
The opposition lawmaker expressed confidence that the ICC will proceed with the full trial soon.
“The sooner the trial, the better for all concerned — including Duterte himself, who will finally have the chance to present his defense, as he repeatedly claimed he would,” De Lima added.
The ICC’s latest ruling marks another major step in its ongoing investigation into alleged crimes against humanity committed during Duterte’s tenure, which has drawn widespread criticism from human rights advocates both in the Philippines and abroad.
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