The Philippines' Duterte on International Criminal Court probe: Over my dead body

By Helen Flores / The Philippine Star

MANILA, Philippines — President Duterte on Monday insisted he would rather be dead than submit to investigation by the International Criminal Court (ICC) over alleged human rights violations associated with his war on drugs.

“You know if you really want me… it’s over my dead body. You can take my dead body to the Netherlands. You will have a carcass. I will not go there alive. But if I see you here, I’ll go first,” Duterte said.

Last June, then ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda requested a full blown inquiry into the alleged crimes against humanity under Duterte’s drug war.

If permitted, investigations about the Philippines will be carried out by Bensouda’s successor, Karim Khan.

More than 6,000 people have been killed in anti-narcotics operations conducted by police since July 2016, according to government data. But human rights groups said the number could be triple that.