A coalition of youth organizations and human rights advocates said it supports the International Criminal Court in its investigation of the alleged crimes against humanity committed by President Rodrigo Duterte because of his war on drugs campaign.

In a statement, #CourageON: No Lockdown on Rights Coalition said the ICC investigation may be the first step in achieving justice for the victims of the war on drugs.

“This is why we express our full support to the International Criminal Court’s efforts to launch an open investigation against President Rodrigo Duterte over his bloody anti-illegal drugs campaign… We call on the Duterte administration to cooperate with the ICC if it indeed stands for justice,” the coalition said.

On June 15, ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda asked the tribunal to open an investigation into the alleged crimes against humanity during Duterte’s drug war from 2016 to 2019.

According to Bensouda, around 12,000 to 30,000 civilians were killed from July 2016 to March 2019.

Instead of addressing the country’s drug problem as a health issue, the coalition pointed out that Duterte’s war on drugs has destroyed the lives of the Filipinos.

The group also stressed that the war on drugs “suppressed access to vital information” that allows “accountability and prosecution against perpetrators of the killings.”

“These consciously discredit the collective effort of the Filipino people and legitimate calls to demand for accountability measures and everyone’s basic rights that this administration cannot uphold,” it said.

“We vehemently refuse to allow the victims to be reduced to mere statistics and tallies. It is high time that Duterte and his state forces pay their dues for the blood on their hands and for the impunity they have enjoyed these past years,” it added.