NPR

Philippine Lawyer Faces Death Threats After Filing Case At The Hague Against Duterte

Jude Sabio filed an International Criminal Court case against President Rodrigo Duterte for crimes against humanity in the war on drugs. "I'm afraid that I'll be killed at any time," Sabio says.
Jude Sabio displays the communication he submitted to the International Criminal Court. He says he felt it was his duty to bring President Duterte's war on drugs to the attention of prosecutors.

Philippine lawyer Jude Sabio doesn't get out much these days — not after he accused his country's enormously popular president, Rodrigo Duterte, of crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court in The Hague.

"Nowadays I do not go out so much in public places," Sabio says. "Specifically, I'm afraid that I'll be killed at any time. Somebody will be just coming and pump a bullet into my head."

The stocky Sabio, 51, says he's received numerous death threats since he filed a complaint against Duterte with the ICC in April 2017.

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from NPR

NPR2 min read
Big Sean: Tiny Desk Concert
The respected lyricist and hip-hop hitmaker comes to the Desk for one of the longest setlists in Tiny Desk history.
NPR9 min readWorld
Fractures In The Grand Alliance Between Black And Jewish Americans
The Grand Alliance between Black and Jewish leaders, known largely for shared work on Civil Rights in the 1960s, has a complicated legacy--and an uncertain future between these communities.
NPR2 min read
Milky Way Black Hole Has 'Strong, Twisted' Magnetic Field In Mesmerizing New Image
The polarized light image gives us a "new view of the monster lurking at the heart of the Milky Way galaxy," according to the European Southern Observatory.

Related Books & Audiobooks