Miriam steps down as ICC judge

By ANDREO CALONZO, GMA News

Published June 3, 2014 1:17pm

(UPDATED 9:25 p.m.) Citing health reasons, Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago on Tuesday said she will no longer assume her post in the International Criminal Court (ICC).

In a letter to ICC president Song Sang-Hyun, copies of which were furnished to the media, Santiago cited her chronic fatigue syndrome as her reason for letting go of the post.

"Pursuant to my commitment, I hereby confirm that the court should proceed on the basis that I am stepping down as elected judge," Santiago said in her letter to the ICC.

"Since I was elected in December 2011, I have secured neither alleviation nor treatment from the medical profession for my illness," she added.

Santiago was elected in 2011 to the ICC, the independent body based in The Netherlands that prosecutes individuals for crimes against humanity and war crimes.

December 2013 deadline

The ICC gave Santiago until December last year to assume her post.

The senator, whose term ends in 2016, initially could not sit in the ICC because she had to wait for a sitting judge to finish all of his or her pending cases.

Santiago's illness, chronic fatigue syndrome, is "a complicated disorder characterized by extreme fatigue that can't be explained by any underlying medical condition."

The senator has been on medical leave since Congress opened sessions in July last year. Although Santiago rarely attends Senate session, she has accepted speaking engagements during the past months. — RSJ/NB GMA News

Tags: miriamdefensorsantiago, internationalcriminalcourt