GENEVA (12 March 2025) – UN Human Rights Chief Volker
Türk today welcomed the announcement by the International
Criminal Court that it had taken into custody former
Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte, who is charged with a
series of murders amounting to crimes against humanity
during campaigns against illegal drugs between 2011 and
2019.
“This is a very important step towards seeking
accountability for the thousands of victims of killings and
other abuses, as well as their families who have
courageously pursued justice,” the High Commissioner
said.
“The extremely serious charges against him
will now be addressed fairly and independently, in full
accordance with the law,” he added.
Türk commended
the Philippines Government for its cooperation in
implementing the international warrant against Duterte. He
also stressed the importance, as Court proceedings move
ahead, of protecting victims and witnesses in the
Philippines, and preventing reprisals and retribution of any
kind against them.
“The so-called war on drugs
undertaken under Duterte’s leadership – first in Davao
and then across the country – has long been of concern to
our Office. We welcome the positive changes in the area of
drug policy that the current Government has subsequently
pursued,” he added.
A report
by the UN Human Rights Office in 2020 found there were
credible allegations of widespread and systematic
extrajudicial killings in the context of the campaign
against illegal drugs, and that there had been near impunity
for such violations.
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Other UN human rights mechanisms,
including the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary
and arbitrary killings, also documented extensive and
serious human rights violations during this period.
In
the 2020 report, mandated by the Human Rights Council, the
High Commissioner called on the international community to
consider options for international accountability measures,
given the absence of clear and measurable outcomes from
domestic mechanisms.
“Despite some steps by the
Philippines authorities to review and re-open past cases,
only a handful of cases so far have resulted in
convictions,” Türk said. “The ICC proceedings now open
a path towards addressing such impunity, at the highest
levels, and shedding light on the widespread and systematic
nature of these crimes.”
“Our international legal
frameworks and institutions, including the ICC, are
fundamental to ensuring justice and achieving accountability
for the most serious crimes, preventing future violations,
and making the world safer for everyone.”
The High
Commissioner also called on the Philippines to rejoin the
Rome Statute, from which it withdrew in
2019.
Following publication of the report, the UN
Human Rights Office supported the Government of Philippines
through a UN Joint Programme on human rights to strengthen
domestic accountability mechanisms and adopt human
rights-based approaches to drug control, which concluded in
August
2024.
