Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is under investigation for all of the drug dealers he has killed

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After years of a bloody drug war, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte watches the wheels of international justice roll against him.

In June, the outgoing chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) called Fatou Bensouda to investigate allegations that Duterte had carried out mass extrajudicial killings of people he believed to be selling illegal drugs in the country.

Al Jazeera reports that an independent human rights group called INVESTIGATE PH has launched a preliminary investigation to gather testimony from people who have lost loved ones to waves of state violence. A preliminary report, already submitted to the ICC by INVESTIGATE PH, contains allegations that the government murdered not only those involved in drug trafficking, but also political opponents of Duterte and Muslim Filipinos under the guise of “fighting terrorism.” . ”

The Philippine government has estimated the number of “drug traffickers” killed in operations at 6,117, but the real numbers are likely much higher. Media organizations have questioned the accuracy of these official figures in the past, and even the UN High Commissioner recently cited figures that put the death toll at more than 8,600 – since March 2020 alone.

Law enforcement officials say such victims became aggressive towards the police and caused their deaths. However, this is not what many families of the deceased say about the death of loved ones.

Duterte has focused on killing drug dealers since the beginning of his political career as Davao City Mayor. At the center of his 2016 presidential campaign were allegations that he would crack down on crime (aka drug traffickers).

The country has not been a member of the International Criminal Court since 2018 when Duterte conveniently announced his withdrawal.

Annoyingly, the president has indicated that he is an illegal drug user himself. At a government event in 2018, he publicly stated that his schedule was so full that he “kills”, which is why he chose to use cannabis. “At my age, it doesn’t really bother me [by my busy schedule] because I use marijuana to stay awake. “

You literally can’t make this shit up. But what’s worse is that Duterte has some friendly relationships with drug dealers. The alleged major operator Peter Lim was photographed several times with the president.

In the past, Duterte has referred to Fatou Bensouda of the ICC as “that black woman” and appears to be quite unrepentant when it comes to his bloody government. “You can tell that there really are people who die almost every day because they have resisted,” he said in June. He added a message to drug dealers that, given his track record, is far from an empty threat: “Don’t destroy the country. I will kill you.”

The Philippine government said it would not cooperate on any ICC investigation.

Look for an ICC decision as to whether it will open the likely official investigation by Duterte’s government by mid-August.

“I really love my sons,” a mother of government victims said in a statement from INVESTIGATE PH. “The pain never really goes away.”