MANILA (Reuters) - The Philippines said on Wednesday it is withdrawing from the International Criminal Court (ICC) due to what President Rodrigo Duterte called “outrageous” attacks by U.N. officials and violations of due process by the ICC.

FILE PHOTO: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte points to photographers during an awarding ceremony for outstanding government workers, at the Malacanang Palace in Manila, Philippines December 19, 2016. REUTERS/Ezra Acayan/File Photo

The decision marks a stunning about-face by Duterte, who has repeatedly dared the ICC to indict him and said he was willing to “rot in jail” or go on trial to defend a war on drugs that has killed thousands of his own people.

The mercurial former mayor had initially welcomed last month’s announcement by the ICC of its preliminary examination into a complaint filed by a Philippine lawyer accusing Duterte and top officials of crimes against humanity.

But in a 15-page statement, dated March 13, Duterte said he was withdrawing from the ICC’s founding treaty, the Rome Statute, because of “baseless, unprecedented and outrageous attacks” by U.N. officials, and ICC actions that he said failed to follow due process and presumption of innocence.

“There appears to be a concerted effort on the part of the U.N. special rapporteurs to paint me as a ruthless and heartless violator of human rights who allegedly caused thousands of extrajudicial killings,” Duterte said.

The ICC’s examination was premature, he added, and “effectively created the impression that I am to be charged ... for serious crimes falling under its jurisdiction.”

He made no mention of the withdrawal in a speech on Wednesday.

Duterte’s chief critics said the move was a U-turn that showed the tough-talking leader was now in panic mode.

“This is an embarrassing attempt to create legal cover, and a self-serving effort to avoid accountability and place himself above Philippine and international law,” said Sam Zarifi, Secretary General of the International Commission of Jurists.

The London-based rights group Amnesty International called the withdrawal “misguided” and “cowardly”.

Human Rights Watch called it “a barefaced attempt to shield him and high-ranking officials”, noting that withdrawal took a year and the ICC could still prosecute international crimes committed while the Philippines was a member.

An ICC spokesman referred most questions to the court’s prosecutors, who could not immediately be reached.

INTERNATIONAL ALARM

Duterte’s bloody campaign has caused international alarm and fierce criticism from some U.N. representatives, including High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein, who on Friday said Duterte should submit himself for a psychiatric examination.

Duterte’s defiance is among the traits that make him wildly popular in the Philippines, where his crackdown has broad support. He has refused to accept some police may be systematically executing suspected dealers, as activists say.

Police deny allegations of murder and cover-ups and say they killed about 4,100 drug dealers in shootouts, but have nothing to do with an estimated 2,300 largely unsolved drug-related homicides.

Last month, he indicated he would cooperate with the ICC examination and even said he would prefer a firing squad to prison.

But he soon changed his tune, telling security forces not to cooperate in any international investigation, and that “not in a million years” would the ICC have jurisdiction.

Jude Sabio, the lawyer who filed the ICC complaint last year, said Duterte’s move was predictable, futile and designed to appeal to his support base.

“Looks like they are really afraid. Why? They feel that this will proceed to an investigation,” Sabio told Reuters, adding the withdrawal “will have no binding legal effect”.

The ICC can only intervene when a member state is unable or unwilling to carry out investigations and prosecute suspected perpetrators. The Philippines says that is far from the case.

The ICC’s examination seeks to establish whether crimes have taken place, and such a process typically takes years.

Duterte’s spokesman, Harry Roque, said the ICC was “siding with the enemies of the president”, while Duterte’s legal counsel Salvador Panelo said the accession to the Rome Statute in 2011 was never announced in the Philippines official gazette, thus did not apply.

FILE PHOTO: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte announces the disbandment of police operations against illegal drugs at the Malacanang palace in Manila, Philippines early January 30, 2017. REUTERS/Ezra Acayan/File Photo

Panelo insisted Duterte was not afraid, but objected to the ICC becoming “a political tool to harass a particular country, like ours”.

Duterte’s critics argued otherwise. Senator Risa Hontiveros said Duterte was desperate and “may have unwittingly displayed his fear of being proven guilty”.

Senator Antonio Trillanes said Duterte was withdrawing “because he knows that there is no way out for him in the ICC”.</s>The Philippines says it will withdraw from the International Criminal Court due to what President Rodrigo Duterte calls "unprecedented attacks" by UN officials and violations of due process.

The Philippines ways it is withdrawing from the International Criminal Court (ICC) due to what President Rodrigo Duterte called "outrageous attacks" by UN officials and violations of due process by the ICC.

The decision marks a stunning about-face by Mr Duterte, who has repeatedly dared the ICC to indict him and said he was willing to "rot in jail" or go on trial to defend a war on drugs that has killed thousands of his own people.

The mercurial former mayor had initially welcomed last month's announcement by the ICC of its preliminary examination into a complaint filed by a Philippine lawyer accusing Mr Duterte and top officials of crimes against humanity.

But in a 15-page statement, dated March 13, Mr Duterte said he was withdrawing from the ICC's founding treaty, the Rome Statute, because of "baseless, unprecedented and outrageous attacks" by UN officials, and ICC actions that he said failed to follow due process and presumption of innocence.

The ICC's examination was premature, he added, and, "effectively created the impression that I am to be charged … for serious crimes falling under its jurisdiction".

Mr Duterte's chief critics said the move was a U-turn that showed the tough-talking leader was now in panic mode.

An ICC spokesman referred most questions to the court's prosecutors, who could not immediately be reached.

According to ICC rules, a withdrawal is effective one year after receipt of notification.

The Philippines comes under its jurisdiction because it is a member, and pulling out cannot affect jurisdiction retroactively.

Mr Duterte's bloody campaign has caused international alarm and fierce criticism from some UN representatives, including High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein, who on Friday said Mr Duterte should submit himself for a psychiatric examination.

In a January report, Human Rights Watch said Duterte's "war on drugs" has led to the deaths of over 12,000 Filipinos, mostly urban poor.

Mr Duterte argued Wednesday that the killings do not amount to crimes against humanity, genocide or similar atrocities and has denied allegations of systematic executions of suspected drug dealers.

Mr Duterte's defiance is among the traits that make him wildly popular in the Philippines, where his crackdown has broad support.

Police deny allegations of murder and cover-ups and say they killed about 4,100 drug dealers in shootouts, but have nothing to do with an estimated 2,300 largely unsolved drug-related homicides.

Last month, Mr Duterte indicated he would cooperate with the ICC examination and even said he would prefer a firing squad to prison.

But he soon changed his tune, telling security forces not to cooperate in any international investigation, and that "not in a million years" would the ICC have jurisdiction.

'Looks like they are really afraid'

Jude Sabio, the lawyer who filed the ICC complaint last year, said Mr Duterte's move was predictable, futile and designed to appeal to his base.

The ICC can only intervene when a member state is unable or unwilling to carry out investigations and prosecute suspected perpetrators.

The Philippines says that is far from the case.

The ICC's examination seeks to establish whether crimes have taken place, and such a process typically takes years.

Duterte's spokesman, Harry Roque, said the ICC was "siding with the enemies of the President", while Duterte's legal counsel, Salvador Panelo, said the accession to the Rome Statute in 2011 was never announced in the Philippines official gazette, thus did not apply.

Mr Panelo insisted Mr Duterte was not afraid, but objected to the ICC becoming "a political tool to harass a particular country, like ours".

Mr Duterte's critics argued otherwise. Senator Risa Hontiveros said Mr Duterte was desperate and, "may have unwittingly displayed his fear of being proven guilty".

Senator Antonio Trillanes said Mr Duterte was withdrawing, "because he knows that there is no way out for him in the ICC".</s>Rodrigo Duterte is to withdraw the Philippines from the International Criminal Court (ICC) after it opened a crimes against humanity investigation into his brutal war on drugs.

In a lengthy statement, the Philippines president accused the ICC and the United Nations of a crusade against him, denouncing what he described as “baseless, unprecedented and outrageous attacks on my person”.

“I therefore declare and forthwith give notice, as president of the republic of the Philippines, that the Philippines is withdrawing its ratification of the Rome statute [the treaty that established the ICC] effective immediately,” said Mr Duterte.

The ICC announced last month it was investigating allegations that Mr Duterte had committed crimes against humanity in his war on drugs, which has killed an estimated 8,000 people since he took office in May 2016.

Mr Duterte initially said he welcomed the chance to defend his name. But on Wednesday he said the ICC had shown a “brazen ignorance of the law” and claimed that the Rome statute was fraudulently implemented in the Philippines to begin with and therefore not “effective or enforceable”.

Philippine politicians met the announcement with scorn and anger. Congressman Antonio Tino said the move was “utterly self-serving and driven by sheer panic at the prospect of a trial before the ICC for crimes against humanity related to his murderous war on drugs”. Mr Tino added: “Saving his own skin has taken precedence over the long-term commitment made by the Philippines state to human rights.”

Kabataan party representative Sarah Elago said it showed that “Duterte intends to impose his fascist and tyrannical tendencies even against international critics”.

“Only the guilty become too eager to run away from prosecution,” Ms Elago added. “If indeed he wants to prove his innocence, what better platform than a court?”

Relations between the Philippines and the international community have become increasingly antagonistic in recent weeks. Last week, the department of justice included a UN special rapporteur on a list of people declared to be communist terrorists. In response, the UN high commissioner for human rights, Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein, said Mr Duterte “needs to submit himself to some sort of psychiatric examination”.

In his statement on Monday, Mr Duterte said Mr Hussein’s comments were clear evidence of “international bias” and that the ICC was “being utilised as a political tool against the Philippines”.

He also described the ICC’s inquiry – which involves looking into a 77-page report submitted to it last year that allegedly documents Mr Duterte’s crimes against humanity going back to 1988 when he was mayor of Davao – as “unduly and maliciously created”.

When the Philippines ratified the Rome statute in 2011 – nine years after it came into force – it was seen as a big step forward for human rights in Asia. The country’s withdrawal will be seen as a blow for international accountability in the region. The ICC, based in The Hague, is the world’s only permanent international tribunal that looks into war crimes and crimes against humanity.</s>The following content is sourced from external partners. We cannot guarantee that it is suitable for the visually or hearing impaired.

This content was published on March 14, 2018 10:15 AM

FILE PHOTO: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte points to photographers during an awarding ceremony for outstanding government workers, at the Malacanang Palace in Manila, Philippines December 19, 2016. REUTERS/Ezra Acayan/File Photo

MANILA (Reuters) - The Philippines said on Wednesday it is withdrawing from the International Criminal Court (ICC) due to what President Rodrigo Duterte called "outrageous" attacks by U.N. officials and violations of due process by the ICC.

The decision marks an about-face by Duterte, who initially welcomed a preliminary ICC examination announced last month into a complaint, filed by a Philippine lawyer, that accuses him and top officials of crimes against humanity, committed during a war on drugs that has killed thousands of people.

A 15-page statement, dated March 13 and not signed by Duterte, said the withdrawal from the ICC's founding treaty, the Rome Statute, was "effective immediately".

That was confirmed separately by Duterte's spokesman and his legal counsel, who both said the ICC's examination was part of a plot by the president's enemies.

Duterte's statement said the withdrawal was because of "baseless, unprecedented and outrageous attacks" by U.N. officials, and what he said was an attempt by the ICC prosecutor to seek jurisdiction over him "in violation of due process and presumption of innocence".

ICC spokesman Fadi el Abdallah referred most questions to the court's prosecutors, who could not immediately be reached for comment.

Duterte's war on drugs has caused international alarm and fierce criticism from some U.N. rapporteurs and officials, including U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein, who on Friday said Duterte should submit himself for a psychiatric examination.

The maverick former mayor has sparred relentlessly with critics and refused to change his approach, or accept that police may have executed suspected dealers, as activists allege.

Police deny allegations of murder and cover-ups and say they killed about 4,100 drug dealers in shootouts. Police say they have no ties to armed men responsible for the deaths of about 2,300 drug users and peddlers.

Duterte, who is hugely popular among Filipinos, has no love for the ICC, calling it "useless" and "hypocritical".

He at first dared the ICC to indict him, saying he was willing to rot in jail for his people. He then said he would prefer a firing squad to prison.

He has recently changed his tune, telling security forces not to cooperate should there be any international investigation. He last week said the ICC would "not in a million years" have jurisdiction.

The ICC's preliminary examination into the complaint seeks to establish whether crimes have taken place. Such a process typically takes years.

Jude Sabio, the Philippine lawyer who filed the ICC complaint last year, said Duterte's move was predictable, futile and designed to appeal to his base.

"Looks like they are really afraid. Why? They feel that this will proceed to an investigation," Sabio told Reuters.

"His statement is only good for politics, just so his supporters can hear that he is withdrawing from the ICC. But it will have no binding legal effect."

According to ICC rules, the withdrawal becomes effective one year after receipt of the notification. Duterte and the Philippines are under the jurisdiction of the ICC as a result of being a member, and pulling out would not change that jurisdiction retroactively.

The ICC can only intervene in a member state when that state is unable or unwilling to carry out investigations and prosecute suspected perpetrators. The Philippines says its legal processes are functional and independent.

Senator Antonio Trillanes, who filed supplementary communications to support Sabio's complaint, said the withdrawal was flip-flopping by Duterte, who "knows that there is no way out for him in the ICC".

"Duterte, by withdrawing from the ICC, has practically admitted that he is guilty of the allegations filed against him," he said in a statement.</s>Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte announces the disbandment of police operations against illegal drugs at the Malacanang palace in Manila, Philippines early January 30, 2017. Source: Reuters/Ezra Acayan

PHILIPPINES President Rodrigo Duterte has announced that the Southeast Asian nation will remove itself from the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC), a month after prosecutors from the Hague-based court announced they would be launching a preliminary investigation into his controversial drug war.

In a long statement dated March 13, Duterte said that Philippines would be removing its ratification of the Rome Statute immediately due to “unprecedented and outrageous attacks on my person … engineered by the officials of the United Nations” and a supposed “violation of due process”.

The announcement of the investigation by the ICC was premature and implied he had already been charged for serious crimes, Duterte said.

SEE ALSO: Duterte declares he is a ‘dictator’ as ICC launches investigation into drug war

The president also said UN special rapporteurs – likely referring to Agnes Callamard the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial killings – had been undertaking a “concerted effort” to paint him as a “ruthless and heartless” violator of human rights.

He has long publicly attacked Callamard, referring to her as a “son of a bitch”, “stupid”, “skinny” and “malnourished”.

In February the International Criminal Court (ICC) officially announced it was launching a preliminary investigation into the Duterte administration’s war on drugs. ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said the body would be looking into extrajudicial killings in the Philippines as part of anti-drug operations.

Duterte’s signature drug war began in June 2016 and has been widely condemned by rights groups, political opponents and the Catholic church in the Philippines.

SEE ALSO: UN rights chief says Duterte needs ‘psychiatric evaluation’

Human Rights Watch estimated earlier in 2018 that more than 12,000 people have been killed by police and plain clothed gunmen since the anti-drug campaign began. Official statistics put the number of dead at around 4000.

Human Rights Watch said on Wednesday that Duterte was simply trying to “run from justice” by pulling out of the Rome Statute and was “a barefaced attempt to shield him and high-ranking officials from possible ICC prosecution”.

Amnesty International Asia Director James Gomez said that “if the Philippines truly believed that the ICC did not have jurisdiction over crimes committed in the country, they should challenge that in the proper way – which is at the ICC. Instead, they have taken the cowardly option of trying to evade justice.”

Philippines Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano denied that it was attempt to avoid prosecution by the ICC, however. “To prove that it’s not a way of evading or getting away from consequences or the jurisdiction of ICC … even if we withdraw, our actions back when we’re a member are still covered,” he said as quoted by the state-run Philippine News Agency.

SEE ALSO: CIA, US intel agencies list Duterte, Hun Sen as ‘regional threats’

A month ago, Duterte declared: “do not worry about me. I can face the ICC. If they want to indict me and convict me, fine. I will gladly do it for my country.” He also said he would “love” to be executed by firing squad if found guilty by the ICC. Now, however, the president has changed his tune.

“The preliminary examination by the prosecutor Fatou Besouda unduly and maliciously created, it is apparent that the ICC is being utilised as a political tool against the Philippines,” said Duterte, who claimed the ICC was exhibiting a “clear bias” against himself and his administration.

Filipino lawyer Jude Sabio lodged a complaint with the ICC last April claiming that Duterte had “repeatedly, unchangingly and continuously” committed crimes against humanity. The ICC has only publicly indicted 41 people from thousands of complaints since its inception in 2002.</s>MANILA, March 14 (Reuters) - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte will withdraw his country's ratification of the International Criminal Court's (ICC) Rome Statute, due to what he said were attacks by United Nations officials and violations of due process by the ICC, according to a draft statement.

The statement, which had yet to be signed by Duterte, was given to reporters by presidential legal counsel Salvador Panelo, who confirmed to Reuters that the document was authentic.

It said the move was due to the "baseless, unprecedented and outrageous attacks on my person as well as against my administration" by U.N. officials, and what he said was an attempt by the ICC prosecutor to seek jurisdiction over him "in violation of due process and presumption of innocence".

The ICC last month started a preliminary examination to establish whether crimes against humanity may have taken place during Duterte's deadly war on drugs, and whether the ICC had jurisdiction to take on the case. A complaint was filed with the ICC by a Philippine lawyer last year.</s>Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has announced that the country will withdraw from the International Criminal Court "effective immediately", just weeks after the tribunal announced its investigation into possible crimes against humanity over his deadly war on drugs.

In a statement signed by Duterte on Wednesday, he declared that The Hague-based organisation "has no jurisdiction nor will it acquire jurisdiction" over him.

The Philippines is a signatory to the Rome Statute, a multilateral treaty that created the international court.

But Duterte said the treaty "is not effective nor enforceable in the Philippines".

"An international law cannot supplant, prevail or diminish a domestic law," he said, adding that the ICC announcement of an investigation on the drug war is a "violation of due process and constitutional presumption of innocence".

Under the treaty, withdrawal is only effective one year after a country gives written notice of its decision to the UN secretary-general. A signatory country also can "not be discharged" of any cases already pending in the court before the withdrawal.

Duterte, however, argued that there was "fraud" committed in the process of making the Philippines sign the agreement. Thus Manila has the right to withdraw "effective immediately".

In response to Duterte's decision, a majority of the Philippine senators signed a resolution declaring that termination or withdrawal from the agreement is only "valid and effective" with their consent. The Philippine Senate was responsible for ratifying the international treaty.

In February, the ICC announced that it had taken the first step to probe Duterte over possible crimes against humanity in relation to his ongoing drug war, which has left as many as 20,000 people dead.

The case stems from a complaint filed before the international court in 2017 accusing the Philippine president of ordering the killings "repeatedly, unchangingly, and continuously".

Duterte said that even if the ICC has jurisdiction over him, the accusations against him "do not fall under the enumerated grounds" of the international law.

"The acts allegedly committed by me are neither genocide nor war crimes. Neither is it a crime of aggression or a crime against humanity," he said.

He also defended the police officers involved in the deadly drug operations, saying they "lacked the intent to kill".

According to police reports, 3,967 "drug personalities" were killed for "resisting arrest" during police operations between July 1, 2016, and November 27, 2017.

But an opposition senator said the death toll in the drug war had surpassed 20,000, since Duterte came to office on June 30, 2016.

An Al Jazeera investigation also revealed that police officers were involved in attempted killings of unarmed drug suspects. Al Jazeera also recorded cases of children being killed by police officers.

On Wednesday, Senator Antonio Trillanes said that by withdrawing from the ICC, Duterte "has practically admitted that he is guilty of the allegations filed against him".

"The day of reckoning is near," he said in a statement.

In a statement to Al Jazeera, Param-Preet Singh, associate director at the Human Rights Watch's International Justice programme, said Duterte's decision was not surprising as he "has long showed disdain for the rule of law".

"Duterte’s statement highlights the urgent need for a UN-led investigation into the drug war killings," Singh said, adding that an inquiry would add international pressure on the Philippine government to stop the killings.

On Wednesday, Duterte said the ICC "is being utilised as a political tool against the Philippines".

In recent days, Duterte had also attacked the international human rights officials involved in the investigation, calling Agnes Callamard, UN special rapporteur to the Philippines, as "skinny" and "malnourished", and referred to Fatou Bensouda, the ICC prosecutor investigating the drug war, as "that black woman".

That prompted Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, to denounce Duterte's statement as "disgraceful" while calling for his "psychiatric evaluation".

This story has been updated to include the comment of Philippine Senator Antonio Trillanes and Human Rights Watch</s>Rodrigo Duterte is to withdraw the Philippines from the international criminal court after it opened a crimes against humanity investigation into his brutal war on drugs.

In a lengthy statement, the Philippines president accused the ICC and the UN of a crusade against him, denouncing what he described as “baseless, unprecedented and outrageous attacks on my person”.

“I therefore declare and forthwith give notice, as president of the republic of the Philippines, that the Philippines is withdrawing its ratification of the Rome statute [the treaty that established the ICC] effective immediately,” said Duterte.

The ICC announced last month that it was investigating allegations that Duterte had committed crimes against humanity in his war on drugs, which has killed an estimated 8,000 people since he took office in May 2016.

Duterte initially said he welcomed the chance to defend his name. But on Wednesday he said the ICC had shown a “brazen ignorance of the law” and claimed that the Rome statute was fraudulently implemented in the Philippines to begin with and therefore not “effective or enforceable”.

Philippine politicians met the announcement with scorn and anger. Congressman Antonio Tino said that the move was “utterly self-serving and driven by sheer panic at the prospect of a trial before the ICC for crimes against humanity related to his murderous war on drugs”. Tino added: “Saving his own skin has taken precedence over the long-term commitment made by the Philippines state to human rights.”

Kabataan party representative Sarah Elago said that it showed that “Duterte intends to impose his fascist and tyrannical tendencies even against international critics”.



“Only the guilty become too eager to run away from prosecution,” Elago added. “If indeed he wants to prove his innocence, what better platform than a court?”

Relations between the Philippines and the international community have become increasingly antagonistic in recent weeks. Last week the Department of Justice included a UN special rapporteur on a list of people declared to be communist terrorists. In response the UN high commissioner for human rights, Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein, said Duterte “needs to submit himself to some sort of psychiatric examination”.

In his statement on Monday, Duterte said Hussein’s comments were clear evidence of “international bias” and that the ICC was “being utilised as a political tool against the Philippines”.

He also described the ICC’s inquiry – which involves looking into a 77-page report submitted to it last year that allegedly documents Duterte’s crimes against humanity going back to 1988 when he was mayor of Davao – as “unduly and maliciously created”.

When the Philippines ratified the Rome statute in 2011 – nine years after it came into force – it was seen as a big step forward for human rights in Asia. The country’s withdrawal will be seen as a blow for international accountability in the region. The ICC, based in The Hague, is the world’s only permanent international tribunal that looks into war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Duterte has made his contempt for the ICC well-known in the past, calling it “bullshit”, “hypocritical” and “useless”, but in his statement on Wednesday, he went further, accusing the court of violating its own due process and depriving him of the right of innocence until proven guilty.

Should the ICC’s preliminary inquiries find evidence of crimes against humanity, the Philippines’ sudden withdrawal from the statute would not protect Duterte from being put on trial. A country’s withdrawal from the ICC takes effect a year after the UN has received the application and article 127 of the Rome statute specifies that “withdrawal shall not affect any cooperation with the court in connection with criminal investigations”.

There are currently 139 countries signed up to the Rome statute, but with some powerful exceptions. The US signed the treaty in 2000 but never ratified it, citing concerns over sovereignty, similarly with Russia. Israel signed it for a short period but also never ratified it into law.

Should the UN accept Duterte’s withdrawal, it would make the Philippines only the second country to withdraw from the Rome statute, following Burundi in 2017. South Africa attempted to leave in 2016, but its withdrawal was revoked by the UN.</s>Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte said he plans to withdraw his country from the International Criminal Court (ICC) after it began examining the country's drugs war.

"It is apparent that the ICC is being utilised as a political tool against the Philippines," Duterte said. He slammed "baseless, unprecedented and outrageous attacks on him and his administration by the UN, the BBC reported.

"I confirm that the President has directed the Executive Secretary to give notice that (the Philippines is) withdrawing as a state party to the Rome Statute of the ICC," Duterte's spokesperson Harry Roque said.

Roque's statement came a few minutes after Duterte's office issued a draft statement on the move.

"I therefore declare and forthwith give notice that the Philippines is withdrawing its ratification of the Rome Statute effective immediately," Duterte said in the draft statement.

The ICC in February began examining alleged crimes committed during the controversial anti-drugs crackdown. ICC chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said the court would be looking at reports of extrajudicial killings.

She stressed that the examinations by the ICC -- based in The Hague -- were "not an investigation" but a process of examining information "in order to reach a fully informed determination on whether there is a reasonable basis to proceed with an investigation".

A statement from the Philippines administration said the ICC inquiry was "in violation of due process".

There has been growing international pressure on Duterte about his country's war on drugs, which caused the deaths of thousands.

Police claimed they killed nearly 4,000 drugs suspects, while rights groups suggest the figure could be far higher. (IANS)</s>Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, whose war on drugs has resulted in the deaths of over 12,000 people allegedly using and dealing drugs, has announced that the country will withdraw from the establishing treaty of the International Criminal Court.

His statement comes about a month after the ICC launched a preliminary investigation into those deaths. Human Rights Watch has called Duterte's term a "human rights calamity," as his administration "has rejected all domestic and international calls for accountability for these abuses, and instead has denied any government responsibility for the thousands of drug war deaths."

Duterte, whose term began in June 2016, promised to kill every drug dealer and user in the Philippines in his presidential campaign. Police officials and vigilantes alike have contributed to the killings.

The ICC launches investigations when a member state is unwilling to carry out investigations and prosecute suspected perpetrators themselves. Duterte claims this is not the case: "The deaths [have occurred] in the process of legitimate police operation" who didn't intend to kill, but acted in self-defense," he said.

"Police have planted guns, spent ammunition, and drug packets on victims' bodies to implicate them in drug activities," it reads. "Masked gunmen taking part in killings appeared to be working closely with police, casting doubt on government claims that most killings have been committed by vigilantes or rival drug gangs. No one has been meaningfully investigated, let alone prosecuted, for any of the 'drug war' killings."

NPR reported on the scope of Duterte's war on drugs last November:

"Inside the Philippines, President Rodrigo Duterte has maintained support for his bloody war on drugs, despite the thousands of lives lost and criticism by human rights groups. "Duterte has remained popular because most people in the country aren't directly affected by deadly drug war, which is mostly being waged in the inner cities. "Since taking office last year, Duterte continues to carry out his pledge to kill every drug dealer and user in the country. Human rights groups say the deadly extra-judicial war has left more than 13,000 people dead. "... Duterte has a much-maligned history of cracking down on drugs. When he won the presidential election last year, Duterte touted his 20 years as mayor of Davao in Mindanao in his promise to rid the country of drugs and crime. But as The Guardian reports, Davao still has the highest murder rate in the country and the second highest number of rapes. "The scope of Duterte's vicious war in the Philippines echoes that first violent campaign in Davao. When he ordered the first death squad to target drug dealers and users in 1989, he allegedly told police officers: "Throw them in the ocean or the quarry. Make it clean. Make sure there are no traces of the bodies."

The ICC uses preliminary investigations to determine if there's "a reasonable basis to proceed with an investigation pursuant to the criteria established by the Rome Statute," said ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda.

In Oct. 2016, Bensouda said she was "deeply concerned about these alleged killings and the fact that public statements of high officials of the Republic of the Philippines seem to condone such killings."

"An international law cannot supplant, prevail or diminish a domestic law," reads Duterte's statement. "I therefore declare and forthwith give notice, as President of the Republic of the Philippines, that the Philippines is withdrawing its ratification of the Rome Statute effective immediately."

Withdrawing from the Rome Statue doesn't let the Philippines off the hook to a more comprehensive ICC investigation or human rights abuse charges, however. "A State shall not be discharged, by reason of its withdrawal, from the obligations arising from the Rome Statute while it was a party to the Statute," reads the document's Article 127.

The same article also states that withdrawals from the Rome Statute shall take place one year or later after a state notifies the United Nations of its intent to withdraw.

"There appears to be fraud in entering such agreement," counters Duterte's statement. The president dared the ICC to jail him last month, saying, "If you haul me into a rigmarole of trial and trial, no need. Go ahead and proceed in your investigation. Find me guilty, of course. You can do that."

"Looks like they are really afraid. Why? They feel that this will proceed to an investigation," Jude Sabio, an ICC lawyer, told Reuters. The withdrawal "will have no binding legal effect," he said.

There are no strict timelines on ICC preliminary investigations, which have taken years to establish whether crimes have taken place.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte announces the withdrawal of the Philippines from the International Criminal Court (ICC) over "outrageous attacks" by United Nations officials.