Legal expert recommends local cases against lower-level officials for Duterte-era drug war killings

A legal expert recommended that victims of the Philippines' drug war under former President Rodrigo Duterte pursue local cases against lower-level officials involved in extrajudicial killings.

Kristina Conti from the National Union of Peoples' Lawyers (NUPL) emphasized that while the ICC focuses on high-ranking officials, domestic courts can handle charges against mid-level and low-level perpetrators.

Former president Rodrigo Duterte is currently detained at Hague Penitentiary Institution for his alleged crimes against humanity related to his drug war.

The ICC has not yet decided whether to issue arrest warrants for other co-accused individuals such as former Philippine National Police chiefs Ronald Dela Rosa and Oscar Albayalde.

Government records showed that there are over 6,000 drug suspects killed in police operations. Human rights organizations estimate the death toll may have reached 30,000 due to unreported incidents.