Statement by the Movement Against Tyranny
June 15, 2021
The Movement Against Tyranny welcomes the filing of Internatonal Criminal Court Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda of a request for authorizaton from the ICC pre-trial chamber to formally investigate the Duterte government for its crime against humanity of murder in relation to Pres. Duterte’s war on drugs.
This is one big step in the quest for justice for thousands of victims of extrajudicial killings under Duterte’s brutal regime. It is a testament to the perseverance of the families of the victims, their lawyers, and all those who have dared to demand justice in these dark times.
We urge the ICC’s Pre-Trial Chamber to act favorably on Prosecutor Bensouda’s request so that the investgation can immediately proceed. This is of great urgency because the killings are ongoing, with Duterte continuing to give bloody orders to the police. The ICC should realize that the investgation can somehow put pressure on the perpetrators to stop the killings, which have now morphed into the wholesale murders of activists, government critics, and ordinary citizens tagged as communists and terrorists.
We demand no less than full cooperation from the Philippine authorities. Pres. Dutete cannot hide behind his self-serving withdrawal from the ICC as the crimes to be investigated happened when the Philippines was still a member of the Court.#
Ref.: Sr. Mary John Mananzan and Dr. Carol Araullo,
MAT co-convenors
