Press Release
March 17, 2018

Dispatch from Crame No. 265:
Statement on Roque's claim of an "avalanche of States leaving" the ICC

3/17/18

Harry Roque has this delusion that following Duterte's decision to withdraw the Philippines from the ICC, it is now "the beginning of the end" for the ICC, as he now also expects "an avalanche of other states leaving" the ICC.

Avalanche talaga? Ok ka lang Mr. Roque? Naka-Fentanyl ka na rin?

So far, the only nation that has successfully left the ICC is Burundi.

Gambia's former President Yahya Jammeh withdrew his country from the ICC last October 2016, but his successor President Adama Barrow immediately restored Gambia's membership in the ICC in February 2017 after his predecessor's election defeat, thereby ending two decades of repressive rule.

South Africa tried to leave under President Jacob Zuma, again unsuccessfully, after its High Court declared that the executive act was unconstitutional without parliamentary approval. Zuma has been removed from office since then and has been charged with corruption just yesterday.

What is clear is that the heads of state who tried to withdraw from the ICC are those who fear prosecution and trial at the ICC for widespread human rights violations during their reign.

The only country that the Philippines has for company in leaving the ICC now is Burundi, after Gambia rejoined the ICC and South Africa's High Court nullified Zuma's withdrawal. Yes, the Philippines is now Asia's own Burundi, after the Duterte government announced its withdrawal from the ICC.

Mr. Roque, i-google mo ang Burundi. Iyan ang pinagyayabang mong bansa na kahanay ngayon ng Pilipinas sa pag-tiwalag sa ICC.

As for the "avalanche" of nations that will follow suit, Roque must be hallucinating.

No, Mr. Roque, Duterte's withdrawal from the ICC is not the "beginning of the end" for the ICC. It is the beginning of the end for Duterte.

No, Mr. Roque, countries will not be leaving the ICC because the Duterte government is "the number one defender of human rights and democracy in the world". It is precisely the opposite. Countries will be staying put in the ICC because they don't want to be identified with the Philippine government under Duterte which is now the number one human rights violator in the world.

Just listen to what Duterte is saying every day, especially after the "one-time, big-time" operations that killed Kian Lloyd delos Santos. Duterte said the more people that are killed, the better, and that the police should kill 32 more people every day. Just look at Aldrin Pineda, the 13-year-old boy from Tondo who was shot and killed by a policeman while playing in his neighborhood. He was just buried yesterday.

Mr. Roque, magpalinis ka naman ng tenga mo. Mukhang wala kang naririnig sa mga pinagsasabi araw-araw ng berdugong Pangulo mo.

Number one human rights defender ba kamo? Kahit si Duterte inamin niya na basura sa kanya ang human rights. Kahit si Duterte inamin niya na kahit kailan wala siyang pakialam sa karapatang pantao. Subukan mong ipasabi sa Pangulo mo ngayon na nirerespeto niya ang karapatang pantao, na ipaglalaban at ipagtatanggol niya ang karapatang pantao, kung hindi siya mamilipit at masunog sa kanyang kinatatayuan.

No right thinking nation or leader will follow the lead of your deranged President except perhaps those who are also likely candidates for ICC investigation and prosecution.

Avalanche ka dyan.

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