ICC calls on kin of Duterte drug war victims to come forward, submit concerns

This photo taken on March 7, 2017, shows the dead body of Valien Mendoza, a suspected drug dealer, gunned down by unidentified assailants in Manila. AFP PHOTO / NOEL CELIS

MANILA, Philippines — The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued a call for victims of the Philippine government’s drug war to come forward and submit their concerns over the request to proceed with the investigation.

“Victims of the alleged crimes have the right to submit ‘representations’ as per the ICC legal framework. This means that victims may provide their views, concerns and expectations regarding the Prosecutor’s request to the ICC Judges for their consideration,” the ICC said in its website.

The ICC provided a Victim Representation Form which asked details such as what happened to the victims, who the victims believe to be responsible, when and where the events occurred, and the like.

The deadline for submitting victim representations to the ICC is on August 13, 2021.

The ICC said that the process of submitting representations is “voluntary and free of charge.”

“Please also note that this is not (yet) an application process for participation in court proceedings against an accused person or for obtaining reparations before the ICC,” the ICC said.

“The process initiated by the Prosecutor is limited to the submission of victims’ views, concerns and expectations on the Prosecutor’s request to open an investigation regarding alleged murder and other crimes which are sufficiently linked to the ‘war on drugs’ campaign as set out above,” it added.

ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda earlier requested for judicial authority to investigate the crimes against humanity case filed against President Rodrigo Duterte over his war against illegal drugs.

Malacañang said Duterte will never cooperate with the ICC probe as it claimed that the court’s move was politically motivated, making it appear that the Philippines’ legal system is not working.

EDV