Former Sen. Leila de Lima on Tuesday said former President Rodrigo Duterte could be held liable for crimes against humanity under a 15-year-old Philippine
law in connection with the alleged extrajudicial killings that occurred during his administration’s bloody war on drugs.
“The crime of EJKs carried out by state security forces and their agents in the implementation of the war on drugs falls under the general category of ‘other crimes against humanity’ under Section 6, which consists of acts ‘committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against any civilian population, with knowledge of the attack,’” De Lima said, quoting the law.
She added that the law holds not just the direct perpetrators responsible, but also those in leadership positions who order or induce such crimes. De Lima further pointed out that RA 9851 does not exempt government officials, including heads of state, from criminal responsibility. “The crimes defined and penalized under this Act, their prosecution, and the execution of sentences imposed on their account, shall not be subject to any prescription,” she said. “De Lima also noted that the Philippines recognized the authority of international courts like the ICC to prosecute crimes against humanity even before joining the Rome Statute in 2011.
“Even before we became a member of the ICC, our law already allowed for the surrender or extradition of individuals involved in crimes against humanity to international courts like the ICC,” De Lima said.
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