Duterte fit to stand trial, ‘victims’ claim
Silent witnesses Families of Duterte’s drug war victims clutch portraits as they watch the former president’s first ICC hearing streamed in a Manila church in March.
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Silent witnesses Families of Duterte’s drug war victims clutch portraits as they watch the former president’s first ICC hearing streamed in a Manila church in March.
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Self-proclaimed victims of the previous administration’s war on drugs insisted over the weekend that former president Rodrigo Duterte is fully fit to stand trial at the International Criminal Court (ICC).
In a radio interview, ICC-accredited lawyer Atty. Gilbert Andres said experts are already assessing Duterte’s condition. “Our belief, and that of the victims, is that Mr. Duterte is fully fit to stand trial,” he said.
Andres also disputed claims by Duterte’s lead lawyer, Nicholas Kaufman, that the Philippine government would not oppose Duterte’s petition for interim release. Kaufman cited Palace Secretary Claire Castro’s remarks suggesting Malacañang had no objection.
Andres countered that the ICC would not even ask for the Philippines’ consideration since the country is no longer a party to the Rome Statute.
“The defense claims that the Philippine government is not opposed to the interim release. That is not true,” he said.
The Philippines, under Duterte, withdrew from the treaty in 2019 after the ICC launched a preliminary probe into drug war killings. The ICC later asserted jurisdiction over crimes committed before the withdrawal.
On Saturday, Vice President Sara Duterte accused ICC detention authorities of neglect after her father was reportedly found unconscious in his cell and later hospitalized.
She called his conditions “inhumane” and “punishment before conviction.” Kaufman confirmed the incident, citing possible cranial injury, and argued Duterte should be temporarily released given his age and alleged cognitive decline.
Prosecutors objected, demanding an independent medical assessment. They stressed Duterte, 80, remains fit to face proceedings.
Malacañang also rebuked Kaufman, accusing him of “twisting facts.” Castro said the Marcos administration “has no hand” in Duterte’s ICC trial or his petition for release.
Duterte faces three counts of murder for crimes against humanity tied to his bloody drug war, which killed more than 6,000 according to official figures. Rights groups estimate the toll exceeded 30,000, mostly from poor communities.
The confirmation of charges, originally set for 23 September, has been postponed indefinitely following a defense petition.
