Vice President Sara Duterte is asking for proof of the reported 30,000 deaths in the previous administration’s war on drugs.
According to VP Sara, the 181 pieces of evidence presented by the prosecution to the International Criminal Court (ICC) are not enough.
She said this is too little compared to the alleged number of extrajudicial killings during the drug war under former President Rodrigo Duterte.
Human rights groups claim that around 30,000 people were killed, but police records show only 6,000 deaths.
“So, where are the 30,000 pieces of evidence? This is not a case for the ICC. These were not even cases in the Philippines. Not a single case,” Duterte said.
“How can you prove a systematic killing of 30,000 victims if you do not even have their names? … We have 181 pieces of evidence, but not even 50 victims. This is about 43 counts of murder, not even 50. So, where is the system of killing thousands?”
Atty. Kristina Conti of the National Union of People’s Lawyers, who represents the victims, said, “In crimes against humanity, you do not need to name all the victims.”
“Maybe VP Sara should take a look at history—what happened during the Holocaust?” Conti said, referring to the Nuremberg trials.
“In the Nuremberg trials, they did not need to list all the victims. The key in cases of crimes against humanity is proving that the killings were widespread and systematic, which can be done even with just one testimony.”
She also clarified that the 181 pieces of evidence are only preliminary documents.
The confirmation of charges is set for September 23, but Conti believes that the ICC prosecutor is already “trial-ready.”
