Neri: ICC may issue arrest warrant vs Duterte soon
Bayan Muna chairperson Atty. Neri Colmenares predicted the International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant of arrest against former president Rodrigo Duterte may be out before the end of the year, saying evidence against the masterminds in the drug war-related extrajudicial killings (EJKs) are getting stronger.
While quick to clarify the timing of the issuance of an arrest warrant is entirely up to the ICC, Colmenares however said it may be time to expect the order given that it has been nearly seven years since the first complaints were filed at The Hague.
“[I]f I am allowed to predict, it will happen before the end of this year…But of course we don’t know, kasi yung ICC hindi naman nila sinasabi,” Colmenares told Bilyonaryo channel in an interview. (…Because the ICC does not announce.)
Colmenares that he and fellow human rights lawyers acting as counsels to complainants know that the preliminary investigations by the ICC are about to conclude.
“Ang nakita ko lang, mas lalong lumakas ang ebidensya dahil sa testimonies ngayon ng mga victim, ng mga pulis doon sa drug war ni President Duterte,” the former representative said. (What I see is, the evidence keeps getting stronger because of the testimonies of the victims, the police on President Duterte’s ‘drug war.’)
He explained that there are two investigations before the ICC on Duterte: the first on the so-called Davao Death Squad when he was city mayor, and the EJKs when he was president.
Colmenares said they are hoping that the ICC would see that the complaints are also being bolstered by new developments as new witnesses are being interviewed by the quad-committee of the House of Representatives (HOR).
Formed and conducting investigations on the EJKs and other criminalities under the Duterte regime, the quad committee is composed of the committees on dangerous drugs, public accounts, public order and safety, and human rights.
Duterte allies, such as fellow ICC case respondent Sen. Ronald dela Rosa, said the investigations are nothing but witch hunts by the Ferdinand Marcos Jr. government that has politically-split with the Dutertes since last year.
Quad committee hearings ‘useful’
Colmenares however said the new testimonies are proving Duterte’s culpability in the mass killings believed to have murdered from six to 30 thousand in just a year.
He cited former Iloilo mayor Jed Mabilog’s recent testimony at the HOR establishing patterns of Duterte’s accountability in the thousands of EJKs associated with the so-called war against drugs from 2016 to 2017.
“The first is the public vilification of the victim like Mayor Mabilog and many activists, drug suspects. They were publicly vilified by President Duterte,” he said.
“The second pattern of evidence is the blatant impunity in which the crime is committed. It [was] usually committed in broad daylight or public plaza where there were many witnesses or near police stations were the perpetrators were never afraid at all to be accosted by the police,” he added.
Colmenares said the third pattern is complete lack of interest by the Duterte administration to investigate the cases.
Mabilog’s asylum status granted by the United States of America is further affirmation of threats against him and others endangered by Duterte’s announcement of so-called drug personalities, Colmenares said.
Colmenares said the HOR quad committee should subpoena Duterte’s drug list that will further implicate him in the EJKs.
He further suggested that the results of the quad committee investigations be submitted to the ICC to further strengthen the cases against Duterte and cohorts. # (Raymund B. Villanueva)
