Human rights alliance Karapatan on Friday welcomed the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) decision to deny former president Rodrigo Duterte’s request for interim release, calling it “a win for justice” and a vindication for victims of his bloody anti-drug campaign.
“This recent decision of the International Criminal Court’s Pre-Trial Chamber I denying Duterte’s request for interim release is a win for justice,” said Cristina Palabay, secretary general of Karapatan, in a statement.
Palabay said the ICC ruling “affirms the position of the victims and their families that there are just and reasonable grounds to continue to hold Duterte in detention for his crimes against humanity.”
She added that Duterte’s “propensity to evade justice for years is enough reason to underscore his capability to do the same in the course of the trial.”
“The decision also shows his capacity, and that of his family’s and associates’, to use his connections and resources to undermine the ICC and go after witnesses and victims, [which] is in full play,” she said.
Palabay attributed the court’s decision to the unwavering efforts of victims, their families, lawyers, human rights defenders, and people’s organizations who have closely monitored the ICC proceedings despite what she described as Duterte’s persistent attempts to delay accountability.
The ICC’s Pre-Trial Chamber I on Friday ruled that Duterte, 80, “continues to pose a flight risk” and that his detention “remains necessary” to ensure his presence during the pre-trial proceedings and possible trial.
The court said his “necessary political contacts” and “network of support,” including his daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte, could “help him abscond.”
Judges also found there was a risk that Duterte and his network “would pose a threat to (potential) witnesses, either directly or indirectly through his supporters.”
The former president was arrested in Manila on March 11 and flown to the Netherlands that same night. He has been held since at the ICC’s detention unit at Scheveningen Prison.
ICC prosecutors have charged Duterte with three counts of crimes against humanity, alleging his involvement in at least 76 murders linked to his “war on drugs” and earlier anti-crime operations in Davao City.
Palabay said Karapatan and the victims’ families would remain vigilant as the ICC proceedings continue. “Justice has been long delayed, but the persistence of the victims and the people continues to bring it closer to reality,” she said.
