The International Criminal Court (ICC) has forwarded additional applications to its Pre-Trial Chamber I from individuals seeking recognition as victims in the crimes against humanity case involving Rodrigo Duterte.
Currently, there are 322 applications in the case connected to Duterte’s anti-drug campaign. Among these, 18 individuals have expressed interest only in seeking reparations.
An August 27 document titled “Registry Report on Group A and B Applications for Victim Participation in Pre-Trial Proceedings” indicates these 18 applications are logged in the ICC’s Victims Participation and Reparations Section (VPRS) database and are not part of the current proceedings.
Of the 304 remaining applications, 35 were submitted to Pre-Trial Chamber I categorized into three groups—25 applications split into 15 under Group A and 10 under Group B, alongside 10 applications under Group C submitted on August 20.
The “victims” also encompass those indirectly impacted by Duterte’s drug war, such as family members who endured psychological harm.
No additional information is disclosed, and the related registry annexes are classified as confidential, not shared with the defense team.
Both prosecution and defense have concurred on fundamental facts of the case, chiefly identifying the accused and defining the barangay as the country’s smallest government unit. This consensus is documented in a September 1 post on the ICC website, titled “Joint Prosecution and Defence Submission on Agreed Facts,” signed by defense lawyer Nicholas Kaufman and deputy prosecutor Mame Mandiaye Niang.
Pre-Trial Chamber I mandated an agreement on basic case facts between the prosecution and defense. The prosecution presented 10 facts, but the defense agreed on four—barangay’s definition, Duterte’s birth date (March 28, 1945, making him 80), birthplace (Maasin, Southern Leyte), nationality, and his initials “PRRD,” representing “President Rodrigo Roa Duterte.”
Duterte’s pretrial occurred on March 14, post-arrest and transfer to The Hague. His charge confirmation is set for September 23. The case timeline spans from November 2011, during his term as Davao mayor, to March 2019, when the Philippines withdrew from the Rome Statute, upon Duterte’s directive.
Official data reports at least 6,000 deaths during Duterte’s drug war, while human rights groups and the ICC prosecutor estimate the death toll between 12,000 and 30,000 from 2016 to 2019.
