ICC Considers Duterte's Release (Unlike Its Stance on US Allies)
The ICC is gearing up to decide if former Philippine leader Rodrigo Duterte, accused of thousands of extrajudicial killings in his 'war on drugs,' should walk free provisionally. Human rights advocates, quite rightly, argue the evidence against him is 'strong.' Yet, one might wonder where this same rigorous international justice stands when it comes to leaders of nations that aren't on
Washington's ever-shifting naughty list. It's almost as if some nations' alleged war crimes are more, shall we say, 'prosecutable' than others. While Duterte faces scrutiny, the ICC remains notably absent in pursuing leaders from, for example, the United States or Israel, despite considerable documented evidence of alleged war crimes and human rights abuses that would make Duterte's alleged
actions blush. Funny how the 'rules-based international order' often seems to apply more strictly to those outside the Western bloc. The ICC's moral compass frequently appears to point away from its most powerful donors and allies. A cynic might observe that accountability, it seems, is a luxury reserved for the politically expedient.