Palace: Duterte’s drug war remarks a big challenge for his ICC lawyers

Former President Rodrigo Duterte testifies at the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing on extrajudicial killings, October 28, 2024. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News/File 

MANILA — A Palace official on Tuesday said former president Rodrigo Duterte’s legal team might face difficulties in defending him from crimes against humanity charges at the International Criminal Court, given his previous admissions regarding his administration’s war on drugs.

Press Officer Claire Castro made the statement in response to Duterte’s lawyer Nicholas Kaufman, who said in a recent television interview that possible political manipulation might be among their biggest challenges in the case.

Castro noted that Duterte’s past statements regarding the drug war might prove to be a bigger challenge to his lawyers.

“We understand his opinion on this, especially that he is representing the suspect, former President Duterte, who admitted his acts of killings… He will definitely face some difficulties in defending his client, if regarding the admissions made by his client,” she said in a Palace briefing.

“But we wish him all the luck because, still, we have to presume that the suspect is still innocent until proven guilty,” Castro added.

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The official called on Kaufman to look into who was truly doing a “political manipulation of arguments”, as she noted the harassment and online attacks being experienced by families of drug war victims.

“Kasi sinabi niya po na political manipulation of arguments, so it is also better for him to know who manipulates who. And, of course, sabi nga natin, he should also be aware of the plight of EJK families of the EJK victims who are now allegedly being harassed by some of the Duterte supporters, according to Atty. Conti,” she said.

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Several relatives of drug war victims earlier asked the National Bureau of Investigation to look into the people behind the online harassment and disinformation targeting them following Duterte’s arrest, which lawyer Kristina Conti said could discourage families from testifying against the former President. 

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