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THE HAGUE, Netherlands – As former president Rodrigo Duterte’s protection staff refuted allegations of his accountability within the widespread and systematic killings in his battle on medication on Thursday, February 26, surviving households and their supporters mentioned the protection belittled their losses.
“Nakikita po namin na talagang minaliit po ang aming pagkatao. Kumbaga, parang ni-walang halaga ang aming mga mahal sa buhay. Sinasabi na numero lang. Parang hindi binigyan ng halaga ‘yung aming paghihirap, ‘yung aming pagdurusa,” mentioned Llore Pasco, a mom of two males who had been killed in Duterte’s drug battle, after the listening to concluded on Thursday.
(We noticed our humanity belittled, as if our family members meant nothing – simply numbers, and our struggling meaningless.)
Duterte’s lead protection counsel, Nicholas Kaufman, had the ground for everything of Day 3 of the affirmation of costs listening to.
Amongst Kaufman’s arguments was that Duterte’s coverage didn’t goal the bigger civilian inhabitants, however relatively a “outlined subgroup.”
“Doon nasaktan nga ang mga kaanak ng biktima eh, kasi parang na-minimize mo ‘yung pagkamatay ng kanilang kaanak. Sabihin mo, ‘kaunti lang naman ‘yun ah. Ilang p.c lang naman ‘yun ah,’” mentioned Neri Colmenares, human rights lawyer and former Bayan Muna consultant.
(That’s the place the victims’ households felt damage, as a result of it was like trivializing the deaths of their relations. It was like saying, “It wasn’t that many. It was solely a small proportion.)
Sheerah Escudero, who misplaced her brother Ephraim within the drug battle, mentioned the protection’s arguments don’t change the truth that many individuals died throughout Duterte’s drug battle.
“Now we have just one objective, which is nothing however fact, and all the pieces that the protection laid out is not going to have an effect on our name for justice,” she mentioned.
Kaufman mentioned in a separate interview that he didn’t make mild of victims’ struggling, however that he had a job to do.
‘A superb job’
Duterte’s former chief presidential authorized counsel, Salvador Panelo, opined that the protection “shattered” the prosecution’s allegations, a view shared by the ex-president’s supporters.
“I feel Legal professional Kaufman actually did an excellent job. He managed to refute the entire allegations held with respect to the presentation of the prosecution,” mentioned Alvin Sarzate, a pro-Duterte vlogger who adopted the proceedings in the course of the livestream.
Sarzate mentioned the protection confirmed that the prosecution’s arguments had been “rehashed peddled allegations” from critics. However whereas he’s hopeful that the case is not going to proceed to trial, he’s skeptical of the possibilities the ICC will aspect with the protection.
“If they’re actually going to embody… being [in] The Hague, the middle of worldwide justice, [and] they’re anchoring all the pieces with respect to deliberation within the legislation, then they need to dismiss it outright. However nonetheless if that is going to be revealed as one of many politically motivated assaults on the Dutertes utilizing the Worldwide Legal Courtroom, then almost definitely it would push to trial,” he mentioned.
Malcolm Conlan, a British supporter of Duterte, additionally has doubts that the ICC will help the protection, as “most” protection requests have been rejected. Among the many rejected requests had been for Duterte’s interim launch, and the disqualification of exterior representatives for victims.
Conlan additionally acknowledged that deaths occurred in the course of the drug battle, however added that he felt that the previous president’s phrases had been wrongly taken too actually.
“I solely agree from what I’ve heard from Legal professional Kaufman immediately, that there’s a lot of rhetoric in his (Duterte’s) speeches, hyperbole, you realize, when he’s speaking about placing folks within the river to be eaten by the fishes, he doesn’t actually imply that,” he informed Rappler.
“I do imagine, sadly, that some folks have taken the legislation into their very own palms and on account of that, there have been unlucky deaths. However once more, he’s now been delivered to a world court docket… with out Philippine jurisdiction, and that’s one thing that considerations me,” he added.
Legal professionals react
Regardless of the Duterte group’s confidence that the protection made an excellent case, Colmenares opined that the court docket will aspect with the argument that the killings had been widespread and deliberate, with Duterte because the commander.
“Tingin ko, hindi makukumbinsi ang korte na yung mga nangyari pala na patayan na libo-libo sa Pilipinas dahil masama lang ang gising ng mga pulis sa araw na ‘yun,” he mentioned.
(I imagine that the court docket is not going to be satisfied that the 1000’s of killings that occurred within the Philippines occurred as a result of the police awakened on the fallacious aspect of the mattress these days)
“No, it was an order. There was a sample. There was a public vilification of the targets,” he added.
The prosecution, frequent authorized representatives of victims, and the protection are set to present their closing statements on Friday, February 27, the final stretch of the four-day affirmation of costs listening to. The Pre-Trial Chamber is anticipated to return out with a call to proceed to trial inside 60 days. – Rappler.com
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