News Roundup 20 February 2023
Feb 20, 2023 • 4 min Read
Jurisdiction issue a ‘script, line’ to attack ICC – rights advocate | INQUIRER.NET – MANILA, Philippines — The International Criminal Court’s (ICC) supposed lack of authority over the Philippines was just “a line” being parroted by government officials to attack the court, a rights advocate said on Sunday, as lawyers representing the kin of drug war victims criticized lawmakers for providing former President Rodrigo Duterte “with a blanket of protection.”
“That issue — that the ICC has no jurisdiction — is [just] a line, the script,” Human Rights Watch (HRW) senior researcher Carlos Conde told the Inquirer. “Although it’s a wrong assertion, it serves a political purpose: their way of attacking the ICC and their way of defending the indefensible.”
He pointed out that while the ICC may no longer have jurisdiction over the Philippines, it retains its authority over crimes that were committed while the country was still a party to the Rome Statute.
“The issue is not whether ICC has jurisdiction over the Philippines because it doesn’t, not anymore. But the ICC definitely has jurisdiction over alleged crimes committed when the Philippines was under ICC jurisdiction,” Conde said.
“[There is a] huge difference,” he pointed out, adding: “The jurisdiction issue is about crimes, not the country.”
Full Story at: Jurisdiction issue a ‘script, line’ to attack ICC – rights advocate | Inquirer News
Turkey clears away rubble from earthquake, rescue efforts wind down | INQUIRER.NET – ANTAKYA, Turkey — Turkey stepped up work to clear away rubble from collapsed buildings on Monday, as rescue work wound down two weeks after major earthquakes killed more than 46,000 people in southern Turkey and northwest Syria.
Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) said that nearly 13,000 excavators, cranes, trucks and other industrial vehicles had been sent to the quake zone.
The death toll in Turkey had risen to 41,020, the AFAD said, and it was expected to climb, with some 385,000 apartments in the country known to have been destroyed or seriously damaged and many people still missing.
Among the survivors of the Feb. 6 earthquakes in Turkey and Syria are about 356,000 pregnant women who urgently need access to reproductive health services, the U.N. sexual and reproductive health agency (UNFPA) said at the weekend.
The women include 226,000 in Turkey and 130,000 in Syria, about 38,800 of whom will deliver in the next month.
Full Story at: Turkey clears away rubble from earthquake, rescue efforts wind down | Inquirer News
EU lawmakers to visit Philippines this week | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — The European Parliament (EP) subcommittee on human rights (DROI) will be in the Philippines this week to complement the country’s partnership with the lawmakers of the European Union to improve the rights situation and justice sector in the country.
The delegation will be in Manila from February 22 to 24, led by six members of the European Parliament after the Philippines accepted its request. According to the Department of Foreign Affairs, the EP DROI subcommittee visits several countries yearly as part of its core duties.
“The visit of the EP DROI is taking place in the context of the open and regular engagement between the Philippines and the EU on human rights, and the shared aim to further constructive dialogue and cooperation on human rights, including in the framework of the EU GO-JUST Program which supports and complements national reforms in the justice sector,” the DFA said in a statement on Monday.
The DFA said the visit “signifies the expanding dialogue and cooperation” between the Philippines and the European Union.
While in the country, the EP DROI will meet with fellow lawmakers at the Senate and he House of Representatives. The delegation will also pay courtesy calls on Justice Secretary Jesus Remulla Jr. and Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual.
What we know so far: BuCor’s plan to relocate its headquarters to Masungi | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — The Bureau of Corrections is planning to transfer its headquarters from the national penitentiary in Muntinlupa City to a parcel of land within the Masungi Georeserve, an award-winning ecotourism site and conservation initiative in Rizal province.
BuCor’s plans to relocate its headquarters and training institute within Masungi drew criticisms and raised concerns that it will damage the fragile Upper Marikina watershed, parts of which are being protected by the Masungi Georeserve Foundation for decades.
Full Story at: What we know so far: BuCor’s plan to relocate its headquarters to Masungi | Philstar.com
