The legal counsel of former President Rodrigo Duterte has urged the International Criminal Court (ICC) to postpone its decision on his interim release, citing incomplete access to key information.
In a filing dated July 18, the defense team requested the ICC’s Pre-Trial Chamber I to suspend its ruling on the matter “until such time as the Defense has assembled all information necessary.” Duterte is facing accusations of crimes against humanity in connection with his bloody war on drugs, which reportedly resulted in the deaths of 12,000 to 30,000 individuals.
His lawyer, Nicholas Kaufman, had earlier requested Duterte’s interim release on June 12, stating that a government — unnamed in the documents — had already shown “advance and principled agreement” to receive him.
But in the more recent submission, portions of which were redacted, Kaufman claimed that the defense had been “slow-walked and stymied” in their efforts to gather information since May. He noted that certain results had only been shared “a few days ago,” impacting their ability to respond adequately to the prosecution’s claims.
“A highly prejudicial situation has thus been created, by which Mr. Duterte is unable to challenge a Prosecution assertion,” Kaufman argued. He further insisted that the Pre-Trial Chamber should review all relevant details before making any decision, stressing that the redacted information “can be of relevance to interim release.”
The defense emphasized the urgency of the matter, noting that such applications are typically resolved within 30 days.
Duterte, who was turned over to the ICC by Philippine authorities last March, is scheduled to face the confirmation of charges hearing on September 23.
