Duterte trial will bring drug war victims ‘from darkness into light of truth, justice’

MANILA, Philippines – Lawyer Gilbert Andres urged the International Criminal Court (ICC) pre-trial chamber to confirm the charges against Rodrigo Duterte and commit him to a full-blown trial to allow victims and their families to reclaim their dignity and access justice.

In his closing statement delivered on the last day of the ICC pre-trial hearing on Friday, February 27, Andres said that the victims want the charges to be confirmed because “they want to be integrated into their communities, because they are still in the shadow of fake news, of fears and threats from Duterte’s supporters.”

“It is important that all of these charges be confirmed against Duterte so that the victims of these crimes will be taken out of the shadow of the darkness into the light of truth and justice because in the end, the victims, they are also created in the image of God, and they also believe that the God of the universe is the God of justice,” Andres added. 

Duterte’s war on drugs led to at least 6,200 deaths in police operations alone as of May 2022, while human rights groups estimate the death toll to reach as high as 30,000, including those killed vigilante-style

Andres highlighted that victims and their families continue to face harassment from Duterte’s supporters, including online abuse and discrediting campaigns, which have left them fearful and hesitant to fully participate in proceedings both in The Hague and in the Philippines. 

Families interviewed by Rappler through the years have reported feeling threatened and intimidated even after their loved ones were buried. Many continue to face harassment from police and other authorities, especially in communities where those responsible for the killings remain present and active. 

The combination of grief, social stigma, and constant threats has kept many families from fully participating in public life or seeking justice.

Andres on Friday outlined 10 rebuttals to defense counsel Nicholas Kaufman’s submissions, countering the defense’s attempts to distance Duterte from responsibility for the thousands of killings linked to the campaign. He stressed that the defense had not undermined the prosecution’s legal theory or evidence, and that the prosecution presented sufficient grounds to believe Duterte committed each of the alleged crimes.

– Rappler.com