The International Criminal Court (ICC) has temporarily suspended an investigation into alleged abuses during the Philippine's "war on drugs" under President Rodrigo Duterte, in which thousands of people have died. ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan wrote that the Philippines had filed a deferral request through its ambassador, Eduardo Malaya.
Malaya cited an ongoing domestic review of 52 drug raids carried out between 2016 and 2021, which signalled the "start of the [DOJ's] review of the over 6,000 administrative cases" pending internal police investigation.
The National Union of People's Lawyers, which represents some victims' families, said in a statement, "We ask the ICC not to allow itself to be swayed by the claims now being made by the Duterte administration. The Philippine justice system is extremely slow and unavailing to the majority of poor and unrepresented victims."
Duterte, who is in the last few months of a six-year term, pulled the Philippines out of the ICC in 2018 and has repeatedly said his government will not cooperate with any investigation.
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