Rallyists call for prosecution of Duterte, claim human rights violations continue under Marcos

In response to the International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte, advocates from Filipino and human rights community groups rallied at the Philippine Center on Fifth Avenue to call for his prosecution and hold him accountable for crimes against humanity.

The action is part of the “Black Friday” global day of action, where Filipinos around the world, including New York, Philadelphia, Washington DC,  Chicago, and Los Angeles are calling for justice for victims of Duterte’s so-called “Drug War”. 

Organizers said the rallyists represent more than 70 organizations.

“The arrest of Duterte represents a major step forward for human rights advocates and victims of the ‘drug war’ after years of continued protest to hold the former president accountable for crimes against humanity,” the rallyists said in a press statement released on March 15.

Under Duterte, the Philippines left the ICC in 2019, while investigations were underway on his drug war. They estimate the number of casualties of extra-judicial killings  at “more than 30,000 people.”

Advocates also raised other forms of state violence allegedly led by Duterte, including counterinsurgency policies against activists, the Anti-terror law, martial law in Mindanao, and de facto martial law throughout the Philippine countryside.

“More than 30,000. More than 30,000. This is not just a number. These are Filipinos who now don’t have a chance to witness the fall of this mass murderer. This is for them. For the mothers that lost their children. The mothers who didn’t stop marching through the streets holding pictures of their children to cry out for justice. For the migrants and their children who were killed in the bloody War on Drugs. OFWs who had to kneel before their employers just to go home and see the body of their child who was a victim of a brutal regime.This is a war against the poor because the real criminals aren’t tricycle drivers and vendors, but the corrupt who steal billions from the Filipino people, ” said AJ Santos of Migrante N.Y.

Advocates also called for accountability for the supposed human rights violations and political repression of the current president, Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

“Marcos Jr. continues the counterinsurgency policies of Duterte and keeps the countryside in de facto martial law. There is at least one killing a day related to drugs under Marcos,” says the statement. “Marcos’ budget and economic policies continue to inflict economic attacks on the people, forcing hundreds of thousands into poverty, and forcing almost 8,000 to leave the Philippines every day.”