Daily Tribune
ON the fourth and final day of the confirmation of charges hearing on the case against former President Rodrigo Duterte (center), the defense team led by counsel Nicholas Kaufman (right) made their final presentation, and the prosecution led by senior trial lawyer Julian Nicholls (left), the common legal representatives of the victims and the defense team delivered their closing statements. The pre-trial chamber (top photo) made up of Presiding Judge Iulia Antoanella Motoc and Judges Reine Adélaïde Sophie Alapini-Gansou and María del Socorro Flores Liera also discussed the review of Duterte’s detention at the International Criminal Court.
Photographs courtesy of ICC/DAILY TRIBUNE images
The legal counsel for former president Rodrigo Duterte affirmed on the fourth and final day of the International Criminal Court (ICC) confirmation hearing an earlier statement of the Masa Sara Duterte Alliance (MASADA) that the lawyer of the more than 497 victims of extrajudicial killing has shamed the more than 48 million peace-loving Filipinos.
In his closing argument, Nicholas Kaufman cited the ICC decision to grant the appeal of Tatay Digong to skip the confirmation hearing and singled out Lawyer Joel Butuyan for shaming millions of Duterte supporters by describing them as “ blood thirsty disciples.
He also argued that, apart from Kian Delos Santos, there is insufficient evidence to prove minors were killed during the drug war.
Benito Ranque, MASADA convenor, on Tuesday issued a statement that Butuyan attempted to internationally shame Duterte by compelling him to personally attend the hearing.
Kaufman echoed the statement and said the narrative of Butuyan during the confirmation hearing of the alleged crime of humanity has pictured Duterte supporters as Duterte fanatics, ” bloodthirsty diciples” who were responsible for what he claimed was 30,000 rapists and dangerous criminals".
MASADA said, “ On the contrary, political battlecry of Tatay Digong war on illegal drugs and crime related to a landslide vote of 16,601,997 in 2016 election and the 32,208,417 for his daughter Sara as vice President in 2022 election”.
Aside from shaming Duterte supporters, Butuyan also pictured the Philippines before the ICC as a failed state as a result of the collapse of the five pillars of the criminal justice system — law enforcement, prosecution, courts, correction, and the community — to justify the jurisdiction, the arrest, and detention of Tatay Digong in the ICC as the court of last resort.
Butuyan also expressed strong opposition to the decision of the International Criminal Court (ICC) pre-trial chamber to grant the Duterte request to skip the case confirmation hearing.
Since the decision aborted the “International shaming drama of alleged victims of crimes againts humanity in the Philippines, the narrative was shifted to the supporters of Duterte.
The ICC has practically barred the so-called “EJK” witnesses who travelled from the Philippines to The Hague in the Netherlands to “ confront FPRRD and make a scene to “shame” Tatay Digong in the international community.
“ In the eyes of ICC judges Tatay Digong is presumed innocent until proven guilty and no amount of publicity stunt czn influence the ICC Judges.” Ranque sad
The ICC pre-trial chamber will release the decision on whether to proceed with the trial or dismiss the cases in sixty days.
In his letter, Duterte said he was kidnapped and being detained againt his will.
“ I am old,tired and frail. I wish for this court to respect my peace inside the cell it has placed on I have accepted that the fact i could diein prison.But those that desire this fate for me should know that ny heart and soul will always remain in the Phiipppines” the letter said.
