Neri Colmenares of Bayan Muna —Photo from the Senate Public Relations and Information Bureau MANILA, Philippines — Questioning the court’s jurisdiction or the admissibility of his case may be the only options left for the legal team of former President Rodrigo Duterte to prevent him from being tried by the International Criminal Court (ICC), a human rights lawyer said on Sunday. This was after the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber I rejected the proposal of Duterte’s counsel to restrict the type of identification documents that may be presented by drug war victims or their families who want to participate in the case of crimes against humanity of murder against the former president. “So, the only thing left for them is jurisdiction and admissibility.” Duterte and his legal team have repeatedly questioned the court’s authority to hear the case against him, citing the withdrawal in 2019 of the Philippines from the Rome Statute, the international treaty that created the ICC. Colmenares noted that Duterte and his legal team may have a “hard time” during the trial proper, claiming the pieces of evidence against him are “very strong.” “You have to stop the trial right at the confirmation [of charges] hearing by claiming questions like admissibility or jurisdiction [because] the moment they lose on that argument, and charges are confirmed and the trial is set, that will go on,” he said. He cited three possible requirements that may have to be met for Garma to be flown to the Netherlands: for the ICC prosecution to see her as a crucial witness, for the United States to allow her to be turned over, and for Garma to consent to become a witness. Read Full Story
