The International Criminal Court (ICC) has temporarily suspended its investigation into suspected human rights abuses committed under Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s “war on drugs” campaign, following a deferral request filed by Manila, documents released on Nov. 19 revealed. The Hague-based court in September authorized an official probe into Duterte’s anti-drug campaign that has left thousands of suspected drug peddlers killed. According to the court documents, ICC prosecutor Karim Khan wrote that the Philippine government had filed a deferral request on Nov. 10 through its ambassador Eduardo Malaya, who cited the Philippines’ own investigations into the alleged abuses. In his letter requesting a deferral, Malaya said the Philippines was “keen on ensuring the successful prosecution of cases that have been filed, or may be filed in court, against erring Philippine National Police members and others within its jurisdiction.” “The prosecution has temporarily suspended its investigative activities while it assesses the scope …