00:00And in issuing the warrant, the judges have found reasonable grounds to believe
00:04that Mr. Duterte has committed the crime of murder.
00:11The office has been working with communities, with states, with international organizations,
00:15with other partners, to make sure that the investigation could be focused and could
00:20move as effectively as possible.
00:23International law is not as weak as some may think.
00:28Mr. Duterte is presumed innocent.
00:31He will make his initial appearance before the court soon.
00:35And the focus of the office is on the judicial proceedings and on proving its case before
00:43the judges of the International Criminal Court.
00:48Well, the arrest of the former president of the Philippines, Mr. Rodrigo Roa Duterte,
00:56is an important moment.
00:58The office has been investigating the situation of the Philippines for some time in relation
01:03to the so-called war on drugs.
01:05Last month, under the supervision of Deputy Prosecutor Manjay Niang, the team submitted
01:12a warrant application to the judges of the pretrial chamber.
01:17The judges have issued that warrant, and it's been executed.
01:22And in issuing the warrant, the judges have found reasonable grounds to believe that Mr.
01:27Duterte has committed the crime of murder as the founder, as the head of the so-called
01:37Davao death squad, as the mayor of Davao City, and then later as the president of the Philippines
01:45between 2011 and 2019.
01:48And I think it's important to show that the office has been working with communities,
01:52with states, with international organizations, with other partners, to make sure that the
01:57investigation could be focused and could move as effectively as possible.
02:02And the fact that it's been executed is important to victims.
02:05It means a lot, I think, to victims.
02:06That's the feedback we've already received.
02:09And many say that international law is not as strong as we want, and I agree with that.
02:15But as I also repeatedly emphasize, international law is not as weak as some may think.
02:23When we come together, when we work, when we build partnerships, the rule of law can
02:28prevail, warrants can be executed, and it's important to underline as we now start a new
02:37stage of proceedings that Mr. Duterte is presumed innocent.
02:43He will make his initial appearance before the court soon, and the focus of the office
02:50is on the judicial proceedings and on proving his case before the judges of the International
02:57Criminal Court.
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