Filipino President Duterte cited for ‘crimes against humanity,’ bishop backs charge
April 28, 2017
A Catholic bishop in the Philippines has endorsed a complaint against President Rodrigo Duterte, filed with the International Criminal Court, accusing him of crimes against humanity.
The complaint against Duterte cites him for “mass murder,” also naming other government officials who have been involved in a brutal crackdown on drug dealers. As many as 7,000 people have reportedly been killed, in police raids on death-squad lynchings, since Duterte assumed the presidency last June. The government has also moved to reinstate the death penalty for drug dealers—over the opposition of the Catholic bishops—but the current anti-drug campaign has been based on extra-judicial killings.
Bishop Arturo Bastes of Sorsogon gave his backing to the criminal complaint. “It is our hope that this move will inject fear into the hearts and minds of the accused officials,” he said, “so that they will eventually and sincerely put a stop to these merciless killings.”
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