Duterte lawyers seek limits to role of victims in trial

Families of victims of former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's "war on drugs" raise flowers and pictures of relatives during a thanksgiving Mass at a church in Quezon City, Philippines, Monday, March 31, 2025. Rodrigo Duterte's defence team wants a limited ‘range’ for the identification and legal representation of drug war fatalities and their kin. - AP

MANILA: The defence team of former President Rodrigo Duterte has objected to some of the items in the proposed mechanism for drug war victims seeking to participate in his trial before the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague.

Led by defence counsel Nicholas Kaufman, the Duterte camp wants the Pre-Trial Chamber (PTC) 1 to “limit the range” of allowed documents to be submitted by victims as proof of their identity to either only the national ID or an up-to-date Philippine passport, to “streamline proceedings” and adopt a “more stringent approach.”