The German government is “encouraging” the Philippines to cooperate with and rejoin the International Criminal Court (ICC)
In a press briefing on Germany’s priority areas, projects and initiatives in the Philippines, which includes human rights, German Ambassador to the Philippines Andreas Michael Pfaffernoschke said, “We would like to encourage the Philippines to collaborate with the ICC and to even reconsider its decision to leave the Rome Statute.”
“We think this is the right way to go,” said the envoy whose country is a member of the ICC.
“If the Philippines will not do that then we will take note of that decision,” he said recognizing that it will (still) be a sovereign decision of the Philippine government.
The Philippines became a state party to the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the ICC, on Nov. 1, 2011.
The ICC investigates and tries individuals charged with the gravest crimes of concern to the international community: genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and the crime of aggression.
On March 17, 2018, The Philippine government under the presidency of Rodrigo Duterte, who is being investigated by the ICC for the thousands of killings related to his drug war, withdrew from the ICC. The withdrawal took effect one year after.
Marcos has taken the position that the ICC has no jurisdiction over the Philippines because the country has a functioning justice system. The ICC, however, said the Philippine government has failed to prove that it is able and willing to prosecute “the most responsible” in Duterte’s bloody drug war.