ICC bars use of Tagalog for opening statements

Former president Rodrigo Duterte appears at the International Criminal Court in The Hague in this file photo from Sept. 16 this year, during a preparatory session.

ICC

MANILA, Philippines — Trial judges of the International Criminal Court (ICC) have prohibited lawyers representing drug war victims from using Tagalog in their opening statement during the upcoming trial of former president Rodrigo Duterte for crimes against humanity.

During Monday’s status conference, Trial Chamber III Presiding Judge Joanna Korner denied the request of the common legal representatives of the victims to partly use Tagalog in their opening statements.

“The Rome Statute is quite clear. The working languages of the court are English and French,” Korner said. “There has to be a really exceptional reason why a language that is not one of the court languages should be used.”

Paolina Massidda, principal counsel at ICC’s Office of Public Counsel for Victims, said they wanted to use Tagalog in their opening statement to relay the specific remarks made by some of the victims in the case.

“A lot of victims will be connecting to the hearing. For them, it would be important to listen how we convey to the chamber what they narrated to us, their experiences,” Massidda said.

“They will connect much more if that is done in Tagalog. It’s a very limited request for this purpose,” she added.

While they understand the purpose of the request, Korner said the court is inclined to follow the rule on the official languages for the conduct of the hearing.

“There are going to be interpreters,” the judge said. “While we understand that you want the victims to relate to what’s being said, all of it, everything you say… will be translated in any event.”

The ruling is so far limited to the use of Tagalog for the opening statements. It remains unclear if there would be witnesses who would testify in Philippine languages.

The ICC earlier released a job posting for Tagalog and Cebuano translators, who would serve as paraprofessional interpreters and associate court interpreters.