The International Criminal Court takes on Rodrigo Duterte
The Philippines’ president and his killer cops are beyond the reach of the law—for now
F OR ONCE, Rodrigo Duterte exercised his right to remain silent. The last time the Philippine president crossed swords with the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague was in June, when its prosecutors sought judges’ permission to investigate him. At the time he reacted with dismissal: “Bullshit!” Yet when the court announced on September 15th that it would allow a full investigation into his war on drugs, which has killed untold thousands, Mr Duterte was uncharacteristically civil.
This article appeared in the Asia section of the print edition under the headline “Duterte harried”
From the September 25th 2021 edition
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