Int'l humanitarian law case vs Duterte eved

DOJ wants no 'overlap' with ICC

- DAPHNE GALVEZ

The Department of Justice (DOJ), through its newly formed task force, is now investigating former president Rodrigo Duterte's possible culpability for the killing of thousands in his drug war, based on an existing local law that defines and penalizes crimes against humanity.

At a briefing yesterday, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said the DOJ probe is based on Republic Act 9851 or an Act Defining and Penalizing Crimes Against International Humanitarian Law, Genocide and other Crimes Against Humanity, organizing jurisdiction and designating special courts, if necessary.

"Yes. Our task force is doing that now," Remulla said when asked if the DOJ task force is investigating the former president.

He said the task force's probe will cover "everything," although he acknowledged there may be some overlapping with the ongoing investigation by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

"We are talking about several laws that will come into play. They will overlap. Then we will choose our strategy later," the DOJ chief said.

"We want the charges to be separate from each other.

What we charge here and what the ICC charges, if possible, should not overlap," he stressed.

The DOJ issued Department Order 778 on Nov. 4, creating a task force to investigate extrajudicial killings that Duterte admitted having ordered as part of his war on drugs.