The International Criminal Court (ICC) has rejected a request from former President Rodrigo Duterte’s legal team to make the identification process stricter for victims of the drug war.
In a 20-page order released on April 17, the ICC’s pre-trial chamber approved the list of documents suggested by the court’s Registry. These documents will be used to confirm the identity of victims who want to take part in the investigation.
The chamber said the documents listed by the Registry already give enough details. They even include a sample format to help prove the identity of the victims applying to be part of the case.
The chamber also said that in cases where standard ID documents are not available, a signed declaration by two witnesses (along with their IDs) is acceptable to confirm the identity of the victim or their connection to the victim.
Duterte’s lawyer, Nicholas Kaufman, disagreed with this. He said the list of IDs was not organized and was unfair.
Duterte is facing charges of crimes against humanity. The case includes at least 43 killings linked to the Davao Death Squad and police actions during his presidency.
The ICC gave the prosecution until July 1 to submit all evidence against Duterte. A hearing to confirm the charges is scheduled for September 23.
