The International Criminal Court (ICC)’s rejection of former President Rodrigo Duterte’s request for interim release was ‘not a surprise’ and proof of how strong the case for crimes against humanity was against him, Mamamayang Liberal Rep. Leila de Lima said on Friday.
In a statement, the former human rights chair said she welcomed the ICC pre trial chamber (PTC) to deny Duterte’s plea for temporary freedom on humanitarian considerations, which she said ‘lacked support both in fact and in the Rome Statute.’
‘The ICC does not easily issue warrants of arrest without any inkling of the weight of the evidence. In the case of Duterte, the evidence is strong enough for the ICC to require his detention during trial. This denial is an indication of the strength of the evidence against Duterte,’ she said. She added that as a ‘no-nonsense court, the ICC will spare no sacred cows. It will not show favor to anyone, and will only listen to reason and side with what is just and right.’
The former president is currently detained at the Scheveningen prison in The Hague, Netherlands, since March as he awaits trial for crimes against humanity committed during his six-year war on drugs.
In rejecting his appeal for interim release, the PTC judges Iulia Antoanella Motoc, Adélaïde Sophie Alapini-Gansou and María del Socorro Flores Liera noted, among others, that the former president ‘appears to have the necessary political contacts, as well as to benefit from a network of support within that country.’ The PTC judges also argued that he ‘is able and has means.to obstruct proceedings against him.’
De Lima – herself the victim of trumped-up drug charges filed against her by the Duterte administration in retaliation for her reports on the Davao Death Squad (DDS) when she was still human rights commissioner – echoed this sentiment, saying that Duterte ‘was (still) influential in the country.’
‘That’s why, as we continue to call for justice and accountability, we should also protect the witnesses and encourage other victims of the murderous war on drugs to speak out and join our fight,’ she added. /mr