ICC Chamber denies Philippines’ request to halt drug war investigation.

The International Criminal Court’s Appeals Chamber has denied the Philippines government’s request to suspend an investigation into President Rodrigo Duterte’s war against illegal drugs. The appeal, filed on 13 March, challenged the ICC’s decision to resume the investigation after a formal request made in December 2018. In its ruling, the Appeals Chamber said the government had failed to demonstrate the “absence of jurisdictional or legal basis for the resumption of the Prosecutor’s activities pending the resolution of the appeal”. It added the Philippines was unable to show how the investigation would lead to “irreversible” consequences.