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‘This is a democracy’: Int’l court may be next for Duterte

Rep. Gary Alejano gestures as he tries to defend the impeachment complaint he filed against Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte during a Justice Committee hearing at the House of Representatives in metropolitan Manila, Philippines on Monday, May 15, 2017. Philippine lawmakers have killed the impeachment complaint accusing President Rodrigo Duterte of crimes against humanity for the thousands of people who have died in his anti-drug crackdown. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila) Rep. Gary Alejano gestures as he tries to defend the impeachment complaint he filed against Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte during a Justice Committee hearing at the House of Representatives in metropolitan Manila, Philippines on Monday, May 15, 2017. Philippine lawmakers have killed the impeachment complaint accusing President Rodrigo Duterte of crimes against humanity for the thousands of people who have died in his anti-drug crackdown. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

By Associated Press May 16, 2017 1 min read

MANILA, Philippines (AP) – Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte acknowledges that allegations he induced extrajudicial killings in his war on drugs could be raised to the International Criminal Court after an impeachment case failed in the House of Representatives.

“Yeah, he can go ahead. He is free to do it. This is a democracy,” Duterte said Tuesday in reaction to a lawmaker saying he was considering bringing a case against the Philippine leader to the court in The Hague, Netherlands.

The impeachment complaint killed by a House committee Monday accused Duterte of multiple murders and crimes against humanity for adopting a state policy of inducing police and vigilantes into killing more than 8,000 suspected drug users and dealers outside the rule of law.