Duterte skipping last hearing before Nov. 30 trial
MANILA, Philippines — Former President Rodrigo Duterte is skipping his fifth status conference on Nov. 2, more than three weeks before he faces trial for crimes against humanity in the International Criminal Court in The Hague, the Netherlands.
The defense, led by lawyer Peter Haynes, did not cite any specific reason for the request, which the Trial Chamber (TC) III granted on Oct. 9, a day after it was filed.
This is the last status conference scheduled before Duterte faces the court for his trial starting Nov. 30. He attended the third and the fourth status conferences, where he appeared for the first time in person before the chamber since his arrest in March last year.
Presiding Judge Joanna Korner of TC III had allowed Duterte’s request to skip earlier status conferences because they were relatively shorter.
READ: Rodrigo Duterte appears at ICC for 2nd time, facing pile of evidence
Status conferences are held to allow parties and participants to the case, including the common legal representatives of the victims, to discuss procedures and resolve disagreements on certain matters.
Bid for recognition
His in-person attendance during trial, however, is mandatory under the Rome Statute, the guiding framework of the ICC, especially after being cleared of physical and mental fitness to participate in the proceedings.
Meanwhile, at least 100 more individuals are seeking recognition as victims in the case of Duterte, who is accused of masterminding a ruthless antinarcotics campaign that led to the killings of thousands of suspected drug peddlers and users.
READ: 100 more drug war victims seek ICC recognition ahead of Duterte trial
Official police records put the number at more than 6,000, but human rights watchdogs estimate it at around 30,000.
The latest batch of applicants is in addition to the 539 victims who were already admitted as victims during the pretrial stage.
In Manila, a Duterte-allied group on Saturday called on the Supreme Court (SC) to resolve the pending cases involving Duterte and Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, a former national police chief who implemented the war on drugs.
‘Decide promptly’
In an open letter, the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) urged the SC to promptly address and settle the pending petitions filed by Duterte and Dela Rosa. Duterte is party chair while Dela Rosa is a member.
The political party said it is appealing as a third party and concerned citizens over what they claimed are lapses and “procedural delays” in their cases.
“This letter is not a pleading. These are public-interest cases, on which every citizen may petition the government for redress of grievances,” PDP-Laban said. “Our request is a single one: that the Court decide these cases, and decide them promptly.”
Tagged as Duterte’s coperpetrator, Dela Rosa eluded arrest from agents armed with an ICC warrant when he surfaced in the Senate in May and was placed under its protective custody before disappearing again. The government has raised a P50-million bounty for his arrest.
Pending before the high court are petitions questioning the legality of Duterte’s arrest on an ICC warrant at the airport in March last year, as well as petitions seeking protection for Dela Rosa from any attempt to arrest and surrender him to the ICC. —With a report from Inquirer Research
