For the relatives of the drug war victims, the International Criminal Court (ICC) is capable of extending the necessary medical assistance to former president Rodrigo Duterte, but will respect its judgment on his petition for interim release.
ICC Assistant to Counsel Kristina Conti relayed this observation Friday after consulting with some of the victims’ families following reports that Duterte’s defense team formally filed a request seeking his temporary freedom.
“We believe, at this point, the ICC facilities are capable of arranging medical assistance for him (Duterte),” Conti said, acknowledging the “humanitarian grounds” cited by Duterte’s lead counsel Nicholas Kaufman in requesting for his interim release.
“We’re also consulting with the victims. They said it’s humane. So, fine, if he (Duterte) really wants to seek treatment and get better, then okay,” she said.
Duterte’s camp appealed to the ICC for his release to an undisclosed country on humanitarian grounds, citing his underlying medical conditions due to his age. The former president is 80 years old but has always projected a strongman image, whose health was never made an issue.
Conti pointed out that the ICC previously declared that Duterte was physically and mentally fit to stand trial. The pre-trial chamber allowed him to participate via video link on March 14 when he made his initial appearance at the Court.
She also questioned the defense’s position that since ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan’s is on leave, the prosecution “has confirmed its non-opposition to the interim release” petition. The document expressly stated that certain conditions have to be met first before the request is granted.
“Assessments on interim release are fact-intensive inquiries that must take into account an individual’s particular circumstances. Decisions cannot be taken on the basis of one factor in isolation; all relevant factors must be considered in their totality,” Kaufman noted in his petition.
According to Conti, the victims will be allowed to comment on this development. “We are determining the deadline of observations for the interim release,” she said, explaining that an ‘interim release’ does not mean freedom for the accused.
