Philippines drug war

Last month, a court accepted the petition of Lenin Baylon's father seeking to correct the cause of death listed on his death certificate.

The "near death experience," as former Senator Leila de Lima characterized it, highlights the peril she has faced since her imprisonment on spurious drug charges in 2017.

The two leaders committed to strengthening a strategic partnership that both view as vital in an era of renascent Chinese power.

The leader promised to emphasize education and rehabilitation, but repeated that he would not cooperate with an ICC probe into extrajudicial killings.

Manila has repeated its claim that The Hague-based court has no jurisdiction over anti-drug killings committed under President Rodrigo Duterte.

The announcement came after the Hague-based ICC sought to restart its investigation into former President Rodrigo Duterte's "war on drugs."

The president has solidified his reputation as a leader who enabled the rapid deterioration of human rights in the Philippines.

According to a leading human rights group, Senator Leila de Lima's detention "exemplifies the lawlessness and cruelty of the Duterte administration.”

The Philippine leader's war on narcotics is perhaps the only policy that he has carried through consistently since his election in 2016.

The court's officials can expect little cooperation from the Duterte administration.

An international investigation of extrajudicial killings in the Philippine drug war remains unlikely, even after a stunning admission by the justice secretary.

While Leila de Lima has been acquitted of one charge, two more continue to hang over her.