ICC hears accounts on Duterte’s Trial Day 2

Testimonies from victims’ families and detailed accounts from prosecutors marked the second day of the confirmation of charges hearing against former president Rodrigo Duterte before Pre-trial Chamber I of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague on Tuesday.

The principal counsel of the independent Office of Public Counsel for Victims (OPCV) Paolina Massida and prosecutive lawyers Edward Jeremy and Robin Croft addressed the chamber, presenting victims’ accounts and evidence they said demonstrate a “widespread and systematic attack.”

“These victims appear today before you not as mere statistics… but as human beings whose rights… have been violated in the most profound ways,” Massidda told the chamber.

An insider police witness cited by the prosecution described alleged operational quotas imposed on officers during the anti-drug campaign. 

“We were told that there should be 5 to 10 deaths per month… if there were no deaths… he would be relieved of his duty,” the witness said, according to the prosecution. 

Prosecutors alleged Duterte made essential contributions to the crimes by designing and disseminating policies to “neutralize” alleged criminals, establishing and overseeing the Davao Death Squad, instructing and authorizing violent acts, including murder, as well as publicly endorsing and encouraging killings. 

Jeremy told the chamber that Duterte was at the “very heart” of the common plan to neutralize alleged criminals across the country.

“One of the first things Duterte did when he became mayor of Davao in 1988 was to create the infamous DDS. Duterte personally instructed DDS members that their mission was to kill criminals and suspected criminals, including “drug pushers.” The DDS carried this out from the charged period of 2011 to 2016,” the prosecution stated in its opening statement.

Prosecution argued that the “PRRD List,” described by the insider as “dead list,” showed that victims were pre-identified and that most of the individuals named were later killed in police operations.

They also cited the killing of 17-year-old Kian delos Santos, saying CCTV footage contradicted police claims of self-defence and showed officers dragging the teenager before he was shot.

The defense, led by former chief presidential legal counsel Salvador Panelo, dismissed the accounts and videos presented as “blusters” and accused prosecutors of “cherry-picking” Duterte’s speeches.

The third day of proceedings and trial is set to continue on February 26.