'Neutralization' misunderstood, Kaufman says

Former President Rodrigo Duterte's lawyer Nicholas Kaufman told the International Criminal Court (ICC) that the term neutralization" refers to lawful arrest or restraint, not killing of drug suspects in police manuals.

Speaking for the defense at the International Criminal Court on Thursday, 26 February, Nicholas Kaufman argued that prosecutors had misread the term as proof of an order to kill.

He referred to the Philippine National Police, which defines “neutralization” as a "police intervention in strict accord with the use of force to contain or stop the unlawful aggression of the offender."

Kaufman added that in "political, legislative, and judicial" settings, the term can also refer to restraint.

During the anti-drug campaign known as Oplan Double Barrel, “neutralizations” were cited as indicators of success, according to Human Rights Watch.

“So, assuming that neutralize actually means killed, which does not, then there’s no virtual certainty attributable to Rodrigo Duterte that death would ensue from this kill list, rather a five percent chance," he added.