Former Bayan Muna Partylist Representative and human rights lawyer Neri Colmenares has called on the International Criminal Court (ICC) to issue arrest warrants against those allegedly involved in the extrajudicial killings (EJKs) under the administration of former President Rodrigo Duterte.
Colmenares made the statement after the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber affirmed that the international tribunal has jurisdiction over Duterte, who faces charges of crimes against humanity and is currently detained in The Hague, Netherlands.
“At last, the Pre-Trial Chamber has decided that the ICC has jurisdiction in the pending case against President Rodrigo Duterte for crimes against humanity. Let the trial begin,” Colmenares said.
He added that the next step should be the issuance of arrest warrants against Duterte’s former subordinates, including Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, who served as Philippine National Police chief during the height of the government’s controversial war on drugs.
“The next step is the issuance of arrest warrants for Duterte subordinates like [Senator] Ronald dela Rosa. We are glad that the ICC has finally laid to rest this oft-repeated issue of jurisdiction. The fundamental principle of the Rome Statute of the ICC is that criminals who committed crimes at the time that his country is a member of the ICC must be made accountable,” he said.
Colmenares stressed that accountability must prevail, rejecting Duterte’s earlier claim that his administration’s withdrawal from the ICC exempts him from prosecution.
“It’s the simple implementation of the rule that, you did the crime, then you do the time. This is contrary to Duterte’s claims that even if he ordered the EJK and other crimes, he cannot be punished because he withdrew the Philippines from the ICC. That is not justice,” he asserted.
Calling the ICC’s affirmation of jurisdiction a historic decision not only for the Philippines but also for other Southeast Asian nations, Colmenares said it sends a powerful message that “power is not a license to kill.”
“Ang kapangyarihan ay hindi lisensya para pumatay. Power does not give you the right to murder with impunity,” he said. “Ang laban para sa hustisya ay mahaba at mahirap, pero ngayon, mas malapit na tayo.”
He also encouraged the families of victims not to lose hope.
“Sa mga pamilyang naghihintay: Huwag kayong mawalan ng pag-asa. Ang hustisya ay mabagal, pero darating din. Your loved ones will not be forgotten. Their deaths will not be in vain. Tuloy ang laban para sa hustisya!” Colmenares said.
The human rights lawyer also urged Duterte’s camp to stop using delaying tactics and allow the legal process to move forward.
“We believe that President Duterte is delaying the trial because he knows that he has no evidence to prove that he has nothing to do with the war on drugs. We wait with bated breath what he will present in the ICC trial to escape from being the first Asian convicted in the ICC,” he said.