A human rights coalition has urged the International Criminal Court (ICC) to deny a potential petition for the interim release of former president Rodrigo Duterte, who is currently in its custody for alleged crimes against humanity related to his bloody war on drugs.

Citing the upsurge of alleged harassment and threats online from the supporters of the erstwhile president, Rise Up for Life and for Rights, a group advocating for justice on behalf of the families of drug war victims, believes that keeping Duterte in ICC detention is necessary to ensure that he will not pose a danger or threat to the victims and witnesses of his notorious drug war.

“The volume of these incidents [is] incontrovertible evidence that Rodrigo Duterte, himself and the hate and violent culture he enables, is still a threat to victims who dare to speak up or testify,” the group said in a statement Monday.

“This presents another compelling reason for Duterte to be denied interim release. He must be prohibited from any return to the Philippines,” it added.

Following Duterte’s arrest last week on the orders of the ICC, the group observed that there has been a “sharp spike” in online harassment, particularly targeting the kin, especially women, of the drug war victims.

They argued that the possible release of Duterte may discourage the relatives of the victims from coming forward and testifying against him.

“His penchant for revenge is strong. His record shows his propensity to incite people to take revenge and inflict violence and, sadly, this has seeped into the minds and behaviors of many,” the statement read.

‘Unlikely’

ICC-accredited lawyer Joel Butuyan, however, allayed fears that Duterte’s plea for interim release will be granted by the international tribunal since he is deemed a “flight risk.”

“There is also the possibility that witnesses might be intimidated and antagonized, as well as the tampering of evidence against. So it is really unlikely that he will be granted interim release,” Butuyan said in Filipino in an interview.

Meanwhile, Atty. Gilbert Andres, another ICC-accredited lawyer, disclosed that witnesses who could possibly be called by the court to testify in Duterte’s trial are now being carefully selected and vetted.

According to Andres, only two to three witnesses may be presented before the ICC. Nonetheless, he mentioned there have been continued discussions between them and the families of the victims and that the timetable is already being laid out.

Both Butuyan and Andres are among the five Filipino lawyers accredited by the tribunal. The others are lawyers Harry Roque — Duterte’s former mouthpiece — Charles Janzen Chua, and Nashmyleen Marohomsalic.

The country marked today, Monday, the sixth year of its withdrawal from the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the ICC.

The Rise Up for Life and for Rights is joining the clamor for the Philippines to rejoin the Rome Statute in support of further investigation into the widespread and systematic killings in the country during Duterte’s time in office.

The Philippines officially withdrew from the Rome Statute on 17 March 2019 pursuant to Duterte’s order. The pullout followed the international tribunal’s launch of a preliminary investigation into his brutal anti-drug campaign.

The government logged more than 7,000 deaths related to Duterte’s drug war, although local and international human rights organizations estimated that the figures were a far cry from the actual death toll, probably exceeding 30,000, affecting predominantly low-income families and communities.