De Lima: Duterte’s world ‘getting smaller’ with ICC finding

Detained Senator Leila de Lima on Wednesday said President Rodrigo Duterte and his cohorts’ world “is getting smaller” as International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda announced on Tuesday that she found “reasonable basis” to believe that crimes against humanity were committed in the administration’s war on drugs.

“This is why Duterte is now trying very hard to backpedal on his statements regarding human rights, to make it appear that they are doing everything to address the issue of EJKs and other grave human rights violations,” she said in a dispatch from Camp Crame.

“But the blood of the thousands of EJK victims are already in Duterte and his enablers’ hands. They will never be able to wash it with empty rhetorics, lies, and repeated denials that EJKs are not state-sponsored, while insisting on their ‘nanlaban’ narrative,” De Lima said.

“Nagsusumigaw ang ebidensya sa malawakan at araw-araw na pagpatay at iba pang mga pang-aabuso sa karapatang pantao ng rehimeng ito,” she added.

The senator noted how Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque merely shrugged off this development claiming that it will be “a waste of time and money” if the ICC pursues the probe against Duterte.

“This certified Duterte Sycophant Spokesperson never fails to show us just how low he has sunk for the sake of power and ambition,” De Lima said.

“He refuses to understand, or simply ignores the fact that it will never be a waste of time and money to unearth the truth and prosecute a mass murderer!” she said.

“If there is nothing to hide, why not cooperate with the ICC and pledge to offer your support if needed? Why threaten those who want to investigate the killings in the country? Kunwari pa kasing wala silang pakialam, eh halata namang takot at binabangungot na sila sa mga ganap sa ICC,” she added.

“Kaya mag-isip-isip na rin yung mga kumukunsinte sa malalang bisyo ng pagpatay ng berdugong Pangulo. Hindi sa lahat ng pagkakataon, mapoprotektahan kayo at makakapagtago sa kulambo ng kaduwagan ni Duterte,” De Lima said.

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