NY Times editorial: ICC must promptly open preliminary probe into killings

President Rodrigo Duterte, criticized for his deadly war on drugs, is "a man who must be stopped," a New York Times editorial said.

In its editorial titled "Let the World Condemn Duterte" on Wednesday (Tuesday in the US), the publication urged the International Criminal Court to immediately start preliminary investigation based on the complaint filed by lawyer Jude Sabio.

"A Filipino lawyer formally asked the International Criminal Court on Monday to charge President Rodrigo Duterte and 11 officials with mass murder and crimes against humanity over the extrajudicial killings of thousands of people in the Philippines over the past three decades. The I.C.C. should promptly open a preliminary investigation into the killings," the editorial said.

It said that the ICC "might be reluctant to go after" Duterte, who was elected into the presidency by 16 million Filipinos, because of his popularity among Filipinos.

The editorial said that the ICC was created to prosecute cases of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes only when its member countries' courts refuse to do so.

"Those conditions might be met if the Philippines House of Representatives, dominated by Mr. Duterte’s allies, quashes, as expected, an impeachment motion filed by an opposition lawyer," it said.

Duterte's top allies in Congress, including Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez and Senate President Aquilino Pimentel Jr., had said that the impeachment complaint filed by Magdalo party-list Rep. Gary Alejano is "doomed to fail."

The impeachment will be tackled by the House of Representatives when it resumes next month following the Lenten break.

Even without the junking of the impeachment, the editorial said "there is already enough evidence" that may prompt the ICC to start its preliminary investigation.

Aside from the findings cited by Sabio in his complaint, which alleges that 9,400 people have been killed in the ongoing war on drugs and the alleged operation of the Davao Death Squad, the New York Times editorial also cited the findings of the Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and statements of confessed Davao Death Squad members Edgar Matobato and Arturo Lascañas.

The editorial added that if these findings and the statements of Matobato and Lascañas are not enough, it reminded the ICC of Duterte's statement, “Hitler massacred three million Jews. Now, there is three million drug addicts. I’d be happy to slaughter them.”

The editorial said the immediate conduct of a preliminary investigation on the complaint filed by Sabio will "send an unmistakable signal to Mr. Duterte that he may eventually have to answer for his crimes, and would encourage governments to take measures against him, such as imposing tariffs on Philippine goods."

Other top officials of the government, including senators, are included as respondents in the ICC complaint.

Malacañang on Tuesday said it would be "deeply disappointing" if the ICC would entertain the complaint based on the statements of confessed killers. —ALG/KG, GMA News