Victims, kin already outside PH can still join ICC case vs Du30
A network of human rights advocates and support groups have widened the search for families of drug war victims whose testimony can be added in support of the case faced by former President Rodrigo Duterte in the International Criminal Court (ICC).
They hope to include families or relatives already based abroad but are are willing to come forward to participate in the ICC case.
Kristina Conti, one of the lawyers assisting the victims through the Duterte Panagutin Campaign Network (DPCN), said the call for more individuals who can report atrocities committed during Duterte’s antidrug crackdown created a new “area or category” of victims who can assisted remotely.
It is for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) or migrant families who are still seeking justice for loved ones killed by the bloody campaign.
Still for vetting
“We’re figuring out if (they) are the next of kin or if they’re just the more emboldened. It’s possible that (family members) in the Philippines are under intense pressure. We will study this further as we get more [to join],” Conti told the Inquirer.
“In any case, we will apply the same standards for vetting of the incidents and the standards of care in advising victims for both online and in-person consultations,” she added.
Remote assistance includes the chance to participate in the ICC, where Duterte is facing charges for murder as a crime against humanity of murder over the thousands in his so-called war on drugs from Nov. 1, 2011 to March 16, 2019.
It covers the period starting from his time as Davao City mayor up to the first half of his six-year presidency, before he ordered the country’s withdrawal from the Rome Statute, the international treaty that established the ICC.
“The only thing needed from them are trust relations and constant communication with the legal representative, even through online means,” said Conti.
All about accountability
The ICC-recognized lawyer clarified that even those outside the scope of the ICC investigation, or those who were killed or arrested after the Philippines had left the Rome Statute, may be approached by the network.
“This isn’t about ICC victims’ participation only in the case against Duterte, but (about) accountability on a larger scale,” she stressed.
The DPCN, which was formed last year, amplified its call over the weekend for more victims or aggrieved families to come out and report their own accounts of the violence or abuse they suffered, including illegal arrests and detention, torture, rape and other crimes.
They may send information to duterte.victims@proton.me, where the network assures them of confidentiality.
Reparations
The survivors of those killed in the drug war can seek recognition and reparations if Duterte is found guilty. The ICC classifies those who suffered various forms of harm and trauma from the deaths of their loved ones in the drug war as “indirect victims.”
The court’s Office of the Prosecutor (OTP) originally applied for an arrest warrant for three counts of crimes against humanity against Duterte: murder, torture and rape.
But the Pre-Trial Chamber (PTC) 1 excluded the torture and rape charges in the arrest warrant it issued on March 7 and made public four days later.
The two charges that were dropped may still be revived if the OTP is able to gather more evidence to support these accusations, according to lawyers familiar with ICC processes.
