ICC victims ask Chamber to admit witness testimony vs Rodrigo Duterte

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The Common Legal Representatives of Victims (CLRV) has asked the International Criminal Court (ICC) Trial Chamber III to grant the Prosecution’s request to admit the previously recorded testimonies of three witnesses in the crimes against humanity case of former President Rodrigo Duterte.

In an eight-page document dated October 27, the CLRV said the testimonies do not appear to concern the acts of Duterte.

It said the testimonies appear relevant and corroborative to the accounts of other witnesses and relate primarily to the contextual elements of crimes against humanity.

“Furthermore, the CLRV supports the Request on the ground that the introduction of the prior recorded testimonies and related documents would be consistent with the victims’ rights to a fair and expeditious trial, and [REDACTED], [REDACTED],” it said.

According to the CLRV, the testimonies concern the alleged extrajudicial killings in Central Luzon and fall within the scope of Count 3.

“The prior recorded testimonies and related documents appear to have sufficient indicia of reliability, having been voluntarily recorded during the Prosecution’s investigation in the Philippines,” it said.

“Their introduction would also serve the interests of justice by contributing to the expeditious conduct of the proceedings and conserving the Court’s time and resources,” it added.

The document was signed by lawyers Gilbert Andres, Joel Butuyan, and Paolina Massida.

Duterte is facing charges of crimes against humanity in connection with the alleged extrajudicial killings in the war on drugs during his term as president and during his term as mayor of Davao City.

He was arrested in March 2025 at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 and is currently detained at the ICC Detention Center in Scheveningen in The Hague, the Netherlands.

Duterte's trial will start on November 30.

The ICC Trial Chamber III found Duterte fit to stand trial, stating that he “is able to effectively exercise his fair trial rights in the proceedings.” —AOL, GMA News