Drug war victims’ kin tell ICC: Don’t let PH gov’t stall probe

MANILA — Families who lost loved ones in the Duterte administration’s war on drugs have invoked the right to object formally to the Philippine government’s effort to stop the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) from investigating the thousands killed during the crackdown.

A Feb. 17 submission made public on Friday and filed on behalf of some 90 family members asked the ICC for the opportunity to “present views and concerns in the appeal by submitting a response to the appeal brief” to be submitted by the Philippine government this month.

It cited Article 68 (3) of the Rome Statute, ICC’s founding document, which stipulates that the court should permit victims’ views and concerns to enter into the records at stages of the proceedings, in a manner not prejudicial to the rights of the accused.

The 90 applicants represent one of several groups that have filed communiques before