ICC Prosecutor Expands Duterte Case to Include 8 More Incidents

MANILA, Philippines — The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) has included eight additional incidents in its crimes against humanity case filed against former president Rodrigo Duterte. While Duterte still faces three counts of crimes against humanity charges, the 143-page trial brief filed by ICC prosecutor earlier this month showed that the case now covers 57 incidents, an increase from the initial 49. According to the trial brief, Incidents 50 to 57 "are additional to the non-exhaustive list of incidents" that were originally set out by the prosecutor. These incidents "fall within the scope of the confirmed charges because they were perpetrated in a ‘time during which and an area where criminal acts were allegedly committed by an identifiable group of perpetrators against an identifiable group of victims.’" Most of the details of the additional incidents were redacted. Incidents 50 to 55 were grouped under Count 3 or the alleged murders in barangay clearance operations, while Incidents 56 and 57 were under Count 2 or the killings of high-value targets. Duterte is facing three counts of crimes against humanity, with the first one focused on the killing allegedly committed by the so-called Davao death squad when Duterte was either mayor or vice mayor of Davao City. The initial 49 incidents covered 76 killings and two attempted murders, while the eight additional incidents outlined at least nine more killings. Duterte’s defense team has objected to the additional incidents, saying these "constitute new material facts and therefore fall outside of the facts and circumstances of the case." This development is part of the international accountability efforts for policies that resulted in thousands of deaths during the "war on drugs" in the Philippines, a policy that remains divisive domestically. Information Source: Philstar Nation