Philippines Senator Asks ICC To Investigate Killings

In the wake of thousands of deaths, Filipino Senator Leila de Lima has called for the support of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to conduct an investigation of Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte’s anti-drug regime.

De Lima resorted to asking for international assistance only after she became the target of thousands of threats of violence and death, according to The Guardian.

Since heading up an investigation into vigilante death squads used to target Filipino drug dealers, she has become a pronounced political enemy of both President Duterte and his supporters.

“[E]ver since they publicized my cellphone number I did receive a lot, almost 2,000, of hate messages and death threats,” she said, according to the Guardian. “I’m not really saying that such a threat comes from the president himself or from his men, but he’s got a throng of fanatical supporters so any of those can think about harming me. The threat is there whether or not it’s sanctioned by the president.”

Duterte’s war on drugs has so far racked up a death toll of approximately 3,800. Many of those killings have been at the hands of civilian death squads acting with his endorsement.

A report alleges Duterte publicly endorsed the extra-judicial killings of drug dealers, saying, “go ahead and kill” addicts and drug dealers.

In addition to requesting assistance from the ICC, De Lima has reached out to world leaders for help, according to IBT.

The United Nations, the European Union, and The United States have already condemned Duterte’s war on drugs.

ICC Chief Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda has stated that, prior to intervening, her office is watching for Filipino officials “ordering, requesting, encouraging or contributing” to crimes against humanity.

On Oct. 18, CNN Philippines reported that De Lima had been accused of accepting bribes from convicted drug lords and protecting drug syndicates.

In addition, a report claims that illegal drug activities began to flourish during the time of former Bureau of Corrections director Rafael Ragos, a former subordinate of De Lima.

“All of the evidence point to her…in these illegal activities,” reads a report by The Philippine House of Representatives’ Committee on Justice and Human Rights.

The Committee left De Lima’s sentencing up to the Philippine Department of Justice. The Senator faces three counts of violating the Dangerous Drugs Act.

Sources: The Guardian, International Business Times, CNN Philippines/Photo Credit: Richard A. Reyes/Inquirer