ICC Registry Unveils Update on Case versus Former Pres. Rodrigo Duterte
ICC – The International Criminal Court confirmed it has received more than 300 applications from the alleged victims of the Duterte drug war in their pursuit to participate in the case.
Former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte is getting closer to the schedule set by the International Criminal Court for the confirmation of the charges against him. The foreign court set the confirmation of charges on September 23.
Ahead of the September hearing, the lawyers of former Pres. Rodrigo Duterte renewed their request for his interim release to an undisclosed country. The former President’s camp initially sought for his interim release in June but, later on, asked the court to hold off in making a decision as they still await some information and documents that will back their bid.
Former Pres. Rodrigo Duterte is faced with an accusation of crimes against humanity over the drug war of his administration. He is currently detained in the ICC detention facility in The Hague, Netherlands since March when the Philippines authorities assisted the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) for his arrest.
Vice Pres. Sara Duterte believes that the Marcos administration and the ICC allegedly used each other for their respective benefits in the arrest of her father. According to her, the court supposedly wants to file a case against the former President while the current admin in the Philippines wants her father away from the country.
The younger Duterte even claimed that Pres. Bongbong Marcos allegedly committed an impeachable offense in the arrest and the transfer of the custody of the former President to the foreign court. Malacañang and the President claimed that the government only acted on its commitment to the Interpol.
Recently, the International Criminal Court Registry confirmed that they received more than 300 applications from the alleged victims of the drug war of the Duterte administration. Based on a report on ABS-CBN News, they want to participate in the ICC case against former Pres. Rodrigo Duterte.
In its report, the ICC stated that that the 303 applications is a “limited number” compared to the number of alleged victims who want to participate in the legal process. According to the Registry, the Victims Participation and Reparations Section (VPRS) is working to inform and assist the alleged victims.
Based on the report, application forms in Tagalog, French, Cebuano, and English were provided to inform the potential applicants of their rights and the legal process. The alleged victims are said to be “deeply committed to the pursuit of justice” and want to be part of the process.
“Against this background, the VPRS received 303 application forms— a limited figure compared to the number of war on drugs victims who wish to participate in the case,” the ICC Registry report stated.
The Duterte family members are taking turns in visiting the former President inside the ICC detention facility. Previously, his youngest daughter, Kitty Duterte, revealed that former Pres. Rodrigo Duterte now has “long white beard and blonde hair” inside the detention facility in The Hague.