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Philippines’ top court upholds Duterte’s martial law

Tuesday, 04 July 2017 6:31 AM [ Last Update: Tuesday, 04 July 2017 6:32 AM ]

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte (Photo by AFP)

The Philippines’ top court has upheld President Rodrigo Duterte’s declaration of martial law in the southern third of the country, dismissing petitions to nullify it.

Supreme Court spokesman Theodore Te said Tuesday that 11 of 15 justices voted to dismiss the consolidated petitions filed by opposition lawmakers, activist groups and four women from Marawi, the southern city where an attack by Daesh-aligned militants prompted Duterte to declare martial law on May 23.

Te said three of the justices voted to partially grant the petitions while one voted to grant them.

Soldiers stand next to a body bag containing the body of a colleague killed in action during fighting between government troops and Daesh-linked militants in Marawi on the southern island of Mindanao on July 3, 2017. (Photo by AFP)

Details of the justices’ opinion and voting were not immediately known, with Te saying the justices’ draft opinions will be finalized and submitted Wednesday.

The petitioners said there was no sufficient factual basis to justify Duterte’s declaration.

(Source: AP)

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