(UPDATED) For at least the second time, senatorial candidate Salvador Panelo repeated a wrong claim that the International Criminal Court (ICC) has “no jurisdiction” to investigate alleged crimes against humanity associated with President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs.
Watch this video:
The Supreme Court holds the same position on the issue.
In a March 16, 2021 decision penned by Associate Justice Marvic Leonen on a petition filed by opposition senators who protested the unilateral withdrawal of the country from the Rome Statute, the high court noted that:
“…withdrawal from the Rome Statute does not affect the liabilities of individuals charged before the International Criminal Court for acts committed up to this date (March 17, 2019).”
Source: Supreme Court E-Library, G.R. No. 238775, March 21, 2021
VERA Files Fact Check flagged a similar claim of Panelo in 2021 when he cited a “requirement” for the Rome Statute to be published in the Official Gazette for the treaty to be in effect. (See VERA FILES FACT CHECK: Panelo makes wrong, misleading claims on ICC jurisdiction, basis of drug war probe)
Editor’s note: This article was updated on April 28, 2022 to include the video fact check.
