Dela Rosa inching closer to becoming Duterte’s ‘kosa’

A nine-square-meter cell, one hour of outdoor exercise, and 25 euros a week for small comforts now define the daily life of former President Rodrigo Duterte at the International Criminal Court detention center at The Hague, Netherlands. The same austere conditions await former police chief Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa should the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) succeed in  serving  an ICC arrest warrant against him.

Dela Rosa is being called to account for alleged extrajudicial killings during his tenure as Davao police chief and police regional director, as well as Duterte’s first national police chief, from 2012 to 2019. If he is delivered to the ICC, he would become Duterte’s “kosa” or jailmate.

AFP was granted rare access to the detention center in The Hague, where Duterte is awaiting trial on crimes against humanity charges over his anti-drug campaign that left thousands dead. Dela Rosa is listed as a co-perpetrator.

The imposing building sits a stone’s throw from the ICC headquarters and about a kilometer from The Hague’s famous dunes and beaches.

But no sun and sea pleasures await detainees like Duterte, who is allowed only one hour of outdoor exercise daily on a weathered tennis court.

The facility houses not only ICC detainees but also suspects awaiting trial before other international tribunals.

Rooms aplenty

Ratko Mladic, the convicted Bosnian Serb commander known as the “Butcher of Bosnia,” is held in a separate wing under the United Nations Detention Unit.

The ICC currently holds seven detainees, including Libyan prison official Khaled Mohamed Ali El Hishri and convicted Timbuktu police chief Al Hassan Ag Abdoul Aziz Ag Mohamed Ag Mahmoud.

The detention center has room for more.

Thirty-two cells stand ready for individuals facing ICC warrants, including high-profile figures such as Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Each cell measures around nine square meters, has a toilet, sink, thin plastic mattress, and a window overlooking the exercise yard. Detainees use shared shower cubicles and do their own laundry.

A note posted near the dryers politely reminds prisoners to clean the filters “so the dryer can be used by other gentlemen.”

The common room has puzzles, books, board games, a tropical fish tank, and cooking facilities where inmates may prepare meals from their home countries.

On one table sat a domino score sheet reading “Ali 3, Mar 3,” possibly from a game between two war crimes suspects. A leftover pan of curry rested on the stove.

Prison director Marc Dubuisson said detainees often complain about the food, but he considers that a good sign.

“When people are complaining about the food, it means they are not complaining about more serious matters,” he said.

Officials attempt to accommodate national tastes, and detainees receive 25 euros weekly to spend on approved items such as snacks and toiletries. They may also earn extra money by performing voluntary cleaning duties.

No machine guns

“This is a detention center, not a prison sentence facility,” Dubuisson said.

“There are no machine guns in this building,” he added, describing efforts by guards to maintain a professional relationship with detainees.

Still, inmates remain locked inside their cells from 8:30 p.m. to 7 a.m., as well as during midday and evening lockdown periods.

Outside those hours, detainees may use a gym, indoor sports hall, and attend yoga, art, or language classes.

They also have access to a library and secure computers not connected to the internet to prepare their legal defense.

Conjugal visits

Family visits are held in designated rooms with toys for children, while conjugal visits are allowed in specially prepared private quarters.

“There is sometimes tension like in all detention centers, but never to the point where we were forced to call the police,” Dubuisson said.