“License to Kill”

The International Criminal Court
In October, the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court criticized “high officials” of
the Philippine government for public statements that “seem to condone such killings and
further seem to encourage State forces and civilians alike to continue targeting these
individuals with lethal force.” 370 The ICC prosecutor explained that the crimes committed
could fall ultimately under the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court:
Let me be clear: any person in the Philippines who incites or engages in
acts of mass violence including by ordering, requesting, encouraging or
contributing, in any other manner, to the commission of crimes within the
jurisdiction of the ICC is potentially liable to prosecution before the Court. 371
When the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court warned Duterte in October that
extrajudicial killings linked to the “war on drugs” may fall under the court’s jurisdiction as
a “widespread or systematic attack against a civilian population,” Duterte threatened to
withdraw the Philippines from the court.
370 “Statement of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Fatou Bensouda concerning the situation in the Republic
of the Philippines,” ICC news release, https://www.icc-cpi.int/Pages/item.aspx?name=161013-otp-stat-php.
371 Ibid.
111 HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH | MARCH 2017