Pumayag na ang Pre-Trial Chamber I ng International Criminal Court (ICC) na ituloy ang imbestigasyon sa mga patayan at iba pang crimes against humanity kaugnay ng giyera kontra droga ng administrasyong Duterte.
Sa desisyon noong Enero 26, sinabi ng Pre-Trial Chamber na hindi naipakita ng gobyerno ng Pilipinas na masusi nitong iniimbestigahan ang matataas na opisyal na utak o nagpatupad ng mga krimen. Hindi rin umano sinisiyasat ang mga posibleng “pattern” o polisiya sa pagpatay sa mga pinaghihinalaang sangkot sa droga.
Nakapanayam ng VERA Files si Romel Bagares, isang abogado na dalubhasa sa international law, upang ipaliwanag ang mga proseso sa pagpapatuloy ng imbestigasyon ni ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan.
Basahin ang transcript ng episode 20 ng What The F?! Podcast:
VERA Files: Muling nabuhayan ng pag-asa ang mga naulila dahil sa madugong “war on drugs” ni dating pangulong Rodrigo Duterte. Pumayag na kasi ang Pre-Trial Chamber I ng International Criminal Court na magpatuloy ang imbestigasyon sa mga patayan at iba pang crimes against humanity kaugnay ng drug war mula July 1, 2016 hanggang March 16, 2019.
Romel Bagares: [A]yon doon sa Jan. 26 finding ng Pre-Trial Chamber, the national proceedings conducted by Philippine authorities, do not mirror the proceedings in the ICC itself. Ibig sabihin kung sinuman iyong iniiimbestigahan ng ICC siya din ‘yong tinitingnan ng mga awtoridad sa Pilipinas for the same acts.
Kung hindi ‘yon magkatugma, hindi nagagampanan ng Pilipinas ‘yung kanyang obligasyon sa ilalim ng principle of complementarity. Kaya po pumapasok yung International Criminal Court. Remember, P.I. pa lang ito ano. Preliminary investigation.
Dito tinitignan pa lang ng prosecutor kung meron ba talagang krimeng naganap, kung sino iyong dapat panagutin, at kung kailangan nga bang magkaroon ng pormal na kaso sa ICC. At on the basis of PI, mag-identify na kung sino ‘yong most guilty o most responsible for the crimes papangalanan at magkakaroon ng formal charges. Ang saklaw po ng imbestigasyon ay yung mga nag-utos, yung mga utak ng karumal-dumal na krimen. Hindi dito pinag-uusapan iyong nag-execute na foot soldiers.
VERA Files: Kapag may sapat na basehan na, maaari nang hilingin ng ICC Prosecutor ang pagharap ng suspek sa korte.
Romel Bagares: So may option iyong ICC ng prosecutor … Either arrest warrant, which is a more confrontational proceeding rather than a request for the issuance of a summonses depende nga iyan doon sa assessment ng prosecutor sa willingness to cooperate of the suspects. Ngayon the ICC prosecutor can ask for the issuance of a sealed arrest warrant. Meaning, it’s not going to be made public at hindi natin malalaman kung nagkaroon ng request.
Of course, sa official channels ano. Kasi mayroon naman tayong embahada doon sa The Hague siyempre, ipapadala sa Pilipinas ‘yan, di ba? Dahil kagaya din naman dito sa atin, iyong sa Interpol, may mga liaison offices. Mayroon tayong Office on Transnational Crime na nakikipag-liaise with other law enforcement agencies. Iyong National Bureau of Investigation.
Bagares: PNP, para sila ‘yung magdala ng arrest warrant sa kung sino man iyong papangalanan doon. So ang malaking tanong lang diyan is kung i-enforce iyan dito sa Pilipinas uutusan ba ng ating presidente na i-serve iyong arrest warrants? Ang purpose kasi niyan kailangang maging present iyong akusado or iyong sa suspect before the ICC in the confirmation of charges proceeding. Kaya dito nagkakaroon ng aberya kasi requirement ‘no. Hindi puwedeng in absentia.
Let’s say president Duterte is named along with Sen. Bato Dela Rosa. This is a theoretical discussion. So we don’t really know who will be ultimately named.
But if they don’t want to be part of it, they refuse, and then the government also says we’re not going to enforce the arrest warrant, then there will be no confirmation of charges. Then that means that the whole process will be put to a standstill… until there is a change in the policy of the government.
We saw in the case, for instance, of Omar al-Bashir – ‘yong dating presidente ng Sudan. When he was still an incumbent president he was facing a slew of arrest warrants also from the ICC for war crimes, crimes against humanity. And many of the African states refused to serve the warrant on him.
Mahigit sampung taon na rin. Hanggang ngayon hindi pa sila nakakarating sa confirmation of charges. That’s the real politic in the procedures right now that we’re seeing in the ICC. That the whole system rests on state cooperation.
Of course ‘yung mga estado – mga pamahalaan na seryoso sa kanilang pagiging bahagi ng Rome Statute – masasabi natin siguro na gagawin nila ang kailangang gawin para maserve ‘yung arrest warrant. Kaya siguro liliit lang ‘yung mundo ng mga akusado. Hindi sila maaaring pumunta sa certain European countries dahil marami sa mga miyembro ng Rome Statute ay nandoon.
VERA Files: Noong Feb. 3, umapela ang Office of the Solicitor General para pigilan ang paggulong ng drug war investigation.
Bagares: Ito ‘yung ngayong ginagawa ng gobyerno sa kaso ng drug war sa Pilipinas. Sasabihin ngayon ng gobyerno doon sa Pre-Trial Chamber na i-delay niyo mo muna ang inyong pagdinig kasi dinidinig din namin ‘yung kasong nakahain sa taong iyan. Marami po talagang leeway, given to the state and even to the suspect or the accused to assail the proceedings.
Someone who’s accused before the ICC can actually be assured that it’s going to be a fair trial given the history of prosecutions before the ICC. ‘Pag nandun ka, wala kang gagastusin, bibigyan ka ng maayos na tulugan at yung bayad nga kung wala kang abogado, sila gagastos, merong international criminal bar.
Kaya nga ‘yan, you can say, it should be the most fair court there is.
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Sources
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Luis Liwanag, Video and photos of drug war victims for VERA Files
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