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WORLD NEWS Wednesday 29 august 2018

Duterte faces new 'crimes against humanity' complaint

By JIM GOMEZ ecutors are not obliged to
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — open preliminary investiga-
Relatives of several people tions based on them.
slain in the Philippine presi- The first complaint against
dent's anti-drug campaign Duterte, which was filed by
asked the International Filipino lawyer Jude Sabio,
Criminal Court on Tuesday is currently being examined
to prosecute him for al- by ICC Prosecutor Fatou
leged crimes against hu- Bensouda. Prior to the filing
manity, in the second such of Sabio's information, Ben-
request for a ruling on thou- souda said she was "deeply
sands of deaths that have concerned" by reports of
occurred during the crack- killings in the Philippines,
down. adding that statements by
Lawyer Edre Olalia said a "high officials" in the coun-
50-page complaint against try "seem to condone such
President Rodrigo Duterte killings."
was sent to an ICC pros- Duterte, a 73-year-old for-
ecutor by email. Olalia mer government prosecu-
said it accuses Duterte of New Philippine Supreme Court Chief Justice Teresita Leonardo De Castro prepares to hear petition tor, denies condoning ex-
against President Duterte's decision to pull out of International Criminal Court during an en banc
ordering, inciting or toler- session Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2018, in Manila, Philippines. trajudicial killings but has
ating the drug killings from Associated Press openly threatened drug
the start of his presidency in dealers with death. "Re-
mid-2016 to this month. The the parents, sisters and wife court taking jurisdiction of morse Duterte had vowed morselessly and incorrigibly,
Duterte administration said of eight slain drug suspects herein complaint, it may to "continue his killing ram- President Duterte's state-
it expects the effort to fail. seek an indictment of force President Duterte to page" during a state of the ments are a command to
A similar complaint against Duterte and reparations for re-examine, if not aban- nation speech last month kill," the complainants said,
Duterte was filed by a Fili- the deaths that occurred don, his distorted notion of in which he stressed the citing his offer of bounties
pino lawyer before the ICC during police anti-drug mass murder to solve the crackdown will press on "as for drug suspects and law
last year and is currently raids. The complainants country's drug and crime relentless and chilling as on enforcers who profit from
being examined by a pros- also include a nongovern- problem," the complain- the first day it began." drug crimes.
ecutor. It focuses on killings ment group that helps fam- ants said. The international court, Duterte has moved to with-
during an earlier crack- ilies of victims, and are rep- "The intervention of the ICC which is based in The draw the Philippines from
down by Duterte when resented by a legal group, will save thousands more Hague, receives many the ICC, but the court has
he was mayor of southern the National Union of Peo- from slaughter," they said such communications said the move would not
Davao city. ples' Lawyers, led by Olalia. in the complaint, adding about alleged crimes from affect Bensouda's prelimi-
In their complaint Tuesday, "It is our hope that with the that instead of showing re- around the world and pros- nary examination.q