Zürcher Nachrichten - Duterte unlikely to face court over Philippines drug war killings

EUR -
AED 3.85008
AFN 70.757963
ALL 97.955404
AMD 407.104681
ANG 1.883645
AOA 955.969707
ARS 1055.802012
AUD 1.622193
AWG 1.889403
AZN 1.795578
BAM 1.944323
BBD 2.110193
BDT 124.892774
BGN 1.955857
BHD 0.39511
BIF 3034.57529
BMD 1.048213
BND 1.407266
BOB 7.222504
BRL 6.089167
BSD 1.045101
BTN 88.097292
BWP 14.259102
BYN 3.420345
BYR 20544.965697
BZD 2.106784
CAD 1.47451
CDF 3009.418434
CHF 0.929796
CLF 0.037132
CLP 1024.596131
CNY 7.60169
CNH 7.608708
COP 4616.044989
CRC 534.032391
CUC 1.048213
CUP 27.777632
CVE 110.76984
CZK 25.268843
DJF 186.288527
DKK 7.459075
DOP 63.415504
DZD 140.067679
EGP 52.017374
ERN 15.723188
ETB 129.401876
FJD 2.388908
FKP 0.827372
GBP 0.83466
GEL 2.861414
GGP 0.827372
GHS 16.453302
GIP 0.827372
GMD 74.423426
GNF 9046.074154
GTQ 8.066232
GYD 218.655135
HKD 8.158144
HNL 26.44113
HRK 7.477172
HTG 137.169651
HUF 410.352674
IDR 16691.264721
ILS 3.821086
IMP 0.827372
INR 88.380983
IQD 1373.682528
IRR 44116.647041
ISK 145.103979
JEP 0.827372
JMD 165.035815
JOD 0.743499
JPY 160.493397
KES 135.757471
KGS 90.98635
KHR 4245.260573
KMF 491.559061
KPW 943.390885
KRW 1465.359179
KWD 0.322525
KYD 0.870975
KZT 521.849631
LAK 23023.988297
LBP 93867.432577
LKR 304.347668
LRD 188.494832
LSL 18.909527
LTL 3.095099
LVL 0.634053
LYD 5.130966
MAD 10.517234
MDL 19.100616
MGA 4904.58649
MKD 61.561577
MMK 3404.553427
MNT 3561.82614
MOP 8.377707
MRU 41.839417
MUR 49.600955
MVR 16.195214
MWK 1819.697389
MXN 21.680515
MYR 4.672411
MZN 66.977539
NAD 18.909354
NGN 1773.858758
NIO 38.531971
NOK 11.715311
NPR 140.95527
NZD 1.798596
OMR 0.403563
PAB 1.045141
PEN 3.960409
PGK 4.161423
PHP 61.751234
PKR 291.141349
PLN 4.304378
PYG 8156.011724
QAR 3.816127
RON 4.976889
RSD 116.999422
RUB 110.5659
RWF 1437.099386
SAR 3.938271
SBD 8.795122
SCR 14.25517
SDG 630.494166
SEK 11.524352
SGD 1.412115
SHP 0.827372
SLE 23.795332
SLL 21980.497729
SOS 599.044422
SRD 37.111943
STD 21695.883154
SVC 9.145018
SYP 2633.665293
SZL 18.91016
THB 36.392893
TJS 11.167586
TMT 3.679226
TND 3.319951
TOP 2.45502
TRY 36.315528
TTD 7.106121
TWD 34.062192
TZS 2772.522521
UAH 43.425167
UGX 3872.179958
USD 1.048213
UYU 44.537103
UZS 13448.566691
VES 48.943826
VND 26640.321592
VUV 124.445899
WST 2.926181
XAF 652.120061
XAG 0.03439
XAU 0.000398
XCD 2.832847
XDR 0.799466
XOF 657.751906
XPF 119.331742
YER 261.97454
ZAR 19.055964
ZMK 9435.181668
ZMW 28.820153
ZWL 337.524009
  • SCS

    -0.1800

    13.54

    -1.33%

  • CMSC

    -0.1600

    24.57

    -0.65%

  • AZN

    -0.0400

    66.36

    -0.06%

  • BCC

    -4.0900

    148.41

    -2.76%

  • GSK

    -0.1300

    34.02

    -0.38%

  • NGG

    -0.4300

    62.83

    -0.68%

  • BCE

    -0.3900

    26.63

    -1.46%

  • BTI

    0.3800

    37.71

    +1.01%

  • RIO

    -0.9500

    62.03

    -1.53%

  • BP

    -0.3600

    28.96

    -1.24%

  • RBGPF

    0.8100

    61

    +1.33%

  • CMSD

    -0.1500

    24.43

    -0.61%

  • RYCEF

    0.0300

    6.8

    +0.44%

  • JRI

    -0.1300

    13.24

    -0.98%

  • VOD

    -0.0500

    8.86

    -0.56%

  • RELX

    0.2400

    46.81

    +0.51%

Duterte unlikely to face court over Philippines drug war killings
Duterte unlikely to face court over Philippines drug war killings / Photo: NOEL CELIS - AFP/File

Duterte unlikely to face court over Philippines drug war killings

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte often incited violence and ordered police to shoot dead suspects in a drug war that has killed thousands. But analysts say he is unlikely to face charges after he steps down Thursday.

Text size:

Duterte's signature policy to rid the country of drugs has been widely condemned and sparked an international probe into a possible crime against humanity.

But the 77-year-old is still hugely popular among many in the Philippines who support his quick-fix solutions to crime, and he remains a potent political force.

Last month's election results reinforced Duterte's bulwark against potential prosecution after he leaves office, analysts said.

Ferdinand Marcos Jr, son of the country's late dictator, won the presidency after striking a powerful alliance with Duterte's daughter, Sara, who was elected vice president.

Marcos Jr has backed Duterte's drug war and signalled his government will not cooperate with the International Criminal Court's (ICC) investigation into the killings.

"The election basically decided that there would not be a serious investigation into President Rodrigo Duterte's role in the drug war for the next six years," said Greg Wyatt, director for business intelligence at PSA Philippines Consultancy.

A self-professed killer, Duterte told officers to fatally shoot narcotics suspects if their lives were at risk.

He defended the crackdown, saying it had saved families and prevented the Philippines from turning into a "narco-politics state".

Government data show more than 6,200 people have died in police anti-drug operations since Duterte was swept to power in 2016.

Rights groups say Duterte created a climate of impunity and estimate that tens of thousands have been killed by police, hitmen and vigilantes, even without proof they were involved in drugs.

Only three policemen have been convicted for slaying a drug suspect.

Under pressure from the UN Human Rights Council and the ICC, the government has examined around 300 cases of drug operations that led to deaths.

Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra told AFP in October that a review of 52 cases had cast doubt on the officers' common claim of self-defence.

Charges have been filed in five cases.

Lawyers representing families of victims have vowed to take legal action against Duterte in the Philippines after June 30.

But they admit the odds are stacked against them.

"We are not that hopeful but it's worth a shot," said Edre Olalia, president of the National Union of Peoples' Lawyers.

Olalia said it can take years for a case to be resolved in the creaky judicial system. And lawyers struggle to gain access to evidence held by police.

- 'Window dressing' -

A major challenge to mounting a case against Duterte will be the Ombudsman he appointed, said jailed Duterte critic and Senator Leila de Lima.

"His clout with the present Ombudsman, the only official authorised to file charges against him in relation to the EJKs (extra-judicial killings), survives even after he leaves office," de Lima said in a statement to AFP.

The last hope for many families seeking justice is the ICC, said Carlos Conde, a senior researcher at Human Rights Watch.

ICC judges authorised a full-blown investigation into the anti-narcotics campaign in September, saying it resembled an illegitimate and systematic attack on civilians.

It suspended the probe two months later, after Manila said it was looking into the alleged crimes.

Conde said the government was trying to "hoodwink" the international community, particularly the ICC.

"A lot of what they've been doing is just window dressing, they are just trying to buy time," he said.

ICC prosecutor Karim Khan announced Friday that he intended to resume his probe into the drug war "as quickly as possible", saying Manila's request to defer the investigation was unjustified.

Duterte has refused to cooperate with The Hague-based court, claiming it has no jurisdiction.

He pulled the Philippines out of the ICC in 2019 after it launched a preliminary investigation into his drugs crackdown.

Even if the ICC gathers enough evidence to bring a case against Duterte, its rules prevent him from being tried in absentia.

"ICC, I know you're listening, stop the drama that you'll indict me," Duterte said Thursday, offering to act as a lawyer for anyone in uniform who shoots dead a criminal after he leaves office.

Another option for justice was an "unofficial truth commission", said Ruben Carranza, a senior expert at the New York-based International Center for Transitional Justice.

Carranza, who was previously involved in efforts to recover money and assets stolen by the Marcoses, said it would allow families of drug war victims to tell their stories.

"In a country like the Philippines," he said, "I think it's important to fight for the truth whenever it's possible."

W.O.Ludwig--NZN