Activists backed by the Philippine Catholic Church on Wednesday launched an independent fact-finding body to investigate drug-related extrajudicial killings (EJKs) during the six-year rule of former President Rodrigo Duterte.
The launch of the EJK Truth Commission came hours before a separate announcement regarding Duterte from the International Criminal Court (ICC). The Hague-based body said the 81-year-old former leader’s trial is scheduled to begin in late November.
Duterte, who was in office from 2016 to 2022, launched a massive anti-drug campaign because of the threat of the Philippines becoming a narco state. According to human rights groups, the drug caused the death of approximately 30,000 people, with Duterte later charged with crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
What are the objectives of the EJK Commission?
The five-member EJK Commission is expected to begin public hearings in July.
Law professor Raul Pangalangan, who previously served as a judge for the ICC, said the commission was created “to ensure that the stories of victims, survivors and families are heard, verified and protected.” Pangalangan will serve as chairman of the commission.
The bloody crackdown under Duterte “happened because everyone was looking the other way,” Pangalangan said. “It’s almost a conspiracy of silence.”
The EJK Commission is set to make recommendations to the Office of the President, Congress, and the National Police Commission in light of its findings.
Bishop Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David, who will serve as an adviser to the EJK commission, said the investigation is “long overdue.”
David said, “This is an opportunity for catharsis … so that we can regain our dignity as a country.” “Ultimately, what we want is healing, not only for the victims but also for our institutions.”
David said that several police officers who killed victims in action claimed that the victims “fight back.” The commission is an attempt to discover the truth “that was buried with those who allegedly protested.”
The group aims to investigate many of the thousands of policemen who took part in the bloody crackdown and have yet to be brought to justice.
Currently, the Philippines is attempting to locate former police chief Ronald dela Rosa, an ally of Duterte who was responsible for implementing the anti-narcotics crackdown. Dela Rosa is in hiding after fleeing a standoff at the Philippines Senate building.
Duterte’s ICC trial will begin in late November
Meanwhile, the ICC said it would open a crimes against humanity trial against Duterte, 81, on November 30.
Duterte was arrested in the Philippines last year and then brought to The Hague to face trial. He faces charges not only over his anti-drug campaign during his tenure as president, but also over past actions he took while serving as mayor of the southern Philippine city of Davao.
Duterte has rejected the allegations against him and said that the police shot people only in self-defense.
The former president is being kept in a detention center in The Hague. His defense team has argued that Duterte is not mentally fit to stand trial.
Edited by: Darko Janjevic