Nicholas Kaufman, lead counsel for former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte in the International Criminal Court (ICC), has refuted claims that his legal team sought to restrict the type of identification documents allowed for relatives of drug war victims who wish to take part in the ICC proceedings.
“This whole thing about the judges rejecting my proposal never happened,” Kaufman said in an interview on April 22. “All that happened was two activists, victims’ representatives by the names of Joel Butuyan and Kristina Conti who made all sorts of assertions in the press that I asked to restrict victims’ participation in the process by limiting the ID documents that could be used.”
Kaufman clarified that his team merely suggested that the ICC adopt ID verification procedures aligned with Philippine standards, such as those followed by the Social Security System (SSS). “All I was doing was relying on what supposed the Philippine security system requires for ID to be verified in the Philippines,” he explained.
“That’s all we did. We made observations. We did not make a request that’s rejected. That’s a big lie,” he added.
This clarification comes after the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber I released a 20-page order on April 17, announcing a more flexible approach in accepting identification documents. In the absence of a passport or National ID, documents like barangay clearance, postal ID, senior citizen card, birth certificate, and community tax certificate (cedula) will now be accepted to establish familial ties to victims of extrajudicial killings.
Kaufman also noted that Conti and Butuyan have not yet been formally recognized by the ICC as legal representatives of the victims.
Duterte is facing crimes against humanity charges in relation to his controversial war on drugs. He remains detained in The Hague, with a confirmation of charges hearing scheduled for September 23.
