ICC accepts more ‘victims’ of Duterte
The registry of the International Criminal Court (ICC) has transmitted to the court’s Pre-Trial Chamber I more applications from parties interested to be registered as victims in the crimes against humanity case of Rodrigo Duterte.
The ICC now has a total of 322 so-called victim applications in the case filed against the former president in connection with his drug war.
But of these applications, 18 of the applicants expressed their wish to seek only reparations.
According to an Aug. 27 document titled “Registry Report on Group A and B Applications for Victim Participation in Pre-Trial Proceedings,” the 18 applications “were registered in the database of the ICC’s Victims Participation and Reparations Section (VPRS) and were not considered at the present stage of proceedings.”
Of the remaining 304 applications, 35 of them had been submitted to Pre-Trial Chamber I under three groups—the 25 applications comprising 15 under Group A and 10 under Group B and the 10 applications under Group C submitted on Aug. 20.
The “victims” in Duterte’s case also include those who were “indirectly” affected by his drug war—family members or relatives who suffered “psychological harm.”
Basic facts
No further details were made available, and the registry annexes to the present transmission are classified as confidential ex parte or without notice to the other party, in this case, the defense team.
The prosecution and defense teams have also agreed on basic facts pertaining to the case—primarily the identity of the accused and the definition of the barangay as the smallest unit of government in the country.
This was provided in a document published on the ICC website dated Sept. 1 and titled “Joint Prosecution and Defence Submission on Agreed Facts,” both signed by defense lawyer Nicholas Kaufman and deputy prosecutor Mame Mandiaye Niang.
Pre-Trial Chamber I had instructed the prosecution and defense to come to an agreement on basic facts regarding the case.
The prosecution listed 10 facts, but the defense only agreed on four—the definition of the barangay, Duterte’s birth date (March 28, 1945, which makes him 80) and birthplace (Maasin, Southern Leyte), his nationality, and the initials “PRRD,” which he is commonly referred to and which stands for “President Rodrigo Roa Duterte.”
Confirmation of charges
Duterte had his pretrial on March 14, two days after his arrest and transport to the Hague. His confirmation of charges is scheduled for Sept. 23.
The period covered by the case against Duterte starts from November 2011, when he was still mayor of Davao, until March 2019, when the Philippines’ withdrawal from the Rome Statute that established the ICC, on his order, took effect.
At least 6,000 lives were killed during the war on drugs during Duterte’s term, according to official government data. But human rights watchdogs and the ICC prosecutor estimated the death toll to be between 12,000 and 30,000 from 2016 to 2019.
