𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗠𝗘𝗥 𝗣𝗛𝗜𝗟𝗜𝗣𝗣𝗜𝗡𝗘𝗦' 𝗣𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗜𝗗𝗘𝗡𝗧 𝗥𝗢𝗗𝗥𝗜𝗚𝗢 𝗗𝗨𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗧𝗘 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗚𝗘𝗗 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗗𝗘𝗧𝗔𝗜𝗡𝗘𝗗 𝗕𝗬 𝗜𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗡𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗔𝗟 𝗖𝗥𝗜𝗠𝗜𝗡𝗔𝗟 𝗖𝗢𝗨𝗥𝗧 𝗙𝗢𝗥 "𝗖𝗥𝗜𝗠𝗘𝗦 𝗔𝗚𝗔𝗜𝗡𝗦𝗧 𝗛𝗨𝗠𝗔𝗡𝗜𝗧𝗬~𝗨.𝗦. 𝗚𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗡𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗠𝗜𝗟𝗜𝗧𝗔𝗥𝗬 𝗔𝗟𝗦𝗢 𝗖𝗜𝗧𝗘𝗗 𝗕𝗬 𝗜.𝗖.𝗖. 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗦𝗨𝗣𝗣𝗢𝗥𝗧 𝗢𝗙 𝗗𝗨𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗧𝗘'𝗦 𝗖𝗥𝗜𝗠𝗘𝗦

From the editor: Below I've posted excerpts from an article in https://truthout.org/articles/dutertes-icc-arrest-for-crime-against-humanity-strikes-a-blow-against-impunity/ detailing the arrest of  former Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte, charged by the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands with "Crimes Against Humanity," namely the murder of thousands of his political enemies under the guise of a "War on Drugs."  It is also claimed by the I.C.C., by this and other sources, that the U.S. government and military were very supportive of Duterte in these "Crimes Against Humanity."

In 2017, during his first term as U.S. President Donald Trump called Duterte to congratulate him on his "unbelievable job he on the drug problem."

                                 

Former Philippines' President Rodrigo Duterte before International Criminal Court

Activists in the Philippines say the stunning arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte on a warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for a crime against humanity marks a major step toward accountability for the thousands of Filipinos targeted and killed under the pretext of his infamous “war on drugs.”

Filipino authorities arrested Duterte in the Manila airport pursuant to Interpol and sent him to The Hague to face the charges at the ICC.

The chamber determined that an attack occurred pursuant to an organizational policy while Duterte was head of the Davao Death Squad (which he founded), and a state policy while he was president of the Philippines. The chamber also concluded that the attack was widespread and systematic, it took place over several years, and thousands of people were killed.

Duterte established a “death squad” whose mission was to kill criminals. In both of his capacities, Duterte and his co-perpetrators agreed to “neutralise” alleged criminals or those with criminal propensities, including but not limited to drug offenders. “Neutralise,” the chamber wrote, meant “kill,” often in a “very covert and secret manner,” without basic law enforcement or investigation.

During his 2016 presidential campaign, Duterte promised a crackdown on narcotics, warning that “drug pushers, holdup men and do-nothings” should leave or he would “kill” them. Police records indicate that more than 7,000 people were killed in official anti-narcotics operations. But human rights defenders say the death toll exceeded 30,000.

“The bogus ‘war on drugs’ was also used as a pretext to go after members of the opposition as exemplified by the filing of trumped-up charges and persecution of critics,” Olalia said. NUPL represents and assists some of the victims of Duterte’s bloody drug war.

Rights groups said Duterte used his so-called war as an excuse to kill his political opponents, even though experts said the Philippines did not have an oversized drug problem.

In September 2018, I testified as an expert before the International Peoples’ Tribunal on the Philippines in Brussels, Belgium. The tribunal found Duterte guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity, aided and abetted by President Donald Trump during his first administration. In 2017, Trump praised Duterte, telling him in a telephone call that he was doing “an unbelievable job on the drug problem.”

During the terms of Presidents George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Trump, the U.S. provided assistance to the Philippine government which enabled it to commit war crimes and crimes against humanity, the tribunal concluded: “US presence and the permanent and expanded basing of US troops are further emboldening the Defendant Duterte government in implementing the counterinsurgency program Oplan Kapayapaan patterned after the 2009 US Counterinsurgency Guide and financed by Defendant US government.” U.S. government assistance to the Duterte government, the tribunal wrote, included the provision of “intelligence, funding, orientation, training and arms to promote and pursue its economic and geopolitical interests in the region.”