News of former President Rodrigo Duterte’s looming trial before the International Criminal Court (ICC) over allegations of crimes against humanity sparked a significant moment in the long road to justice for the families of extrajudicial killing (EJK) victims, according to a human rights organization.
This week’s events, beginning with Duterte’s arrest by Interpol and Philippine law enforcement authorities and his eventual detention, drew mixed reactions from the community supporting the victims—from disbelief to hope—but they acknowledged that their journey is far from over.
“It (search for justice) will take a long time, yes, but somehow (we are hopeful, we will receive it),” Rise Up for Life and for Rights Coordinator Rubilyn Litao told the Manila Standard. She recognized the crucial role that ICC plays in their quest for accountability.
Litao said they could not believe the former president, who once wielded power with impunity, was finally arrested on Tuesday. “Is it true that Duterte was arrested? It took me a while to figure out what to do,” she said.
“We know that he should be arrested, he should be punished. But… it happened so fast,” Litao added. She said they immediately got in touch with the mothers of EJK victims, who reached out to them to discuss the March 11 incident.
Rise Up for Life and for Rights is a human rights advocacy group led by church members, who has long championed justice and peace. Their work centered on supporting EJK victims since 2016 through case documentation, legal aid, and community building.
The group collaborates with organizations like the National Union of People’s Lawyers (NUPL) to provide legal support for the victims and has submitted cases to the ICC, citing lack of progress of their lawsuits filed in local courts.
One of the prominent cases that surfaced was that of Kian de los Santos—the 17-year-old student killed by cops in 2017 amid Duterte’s ‘war on drugs’ during his presidency. Kian’s story drew public outrage as he was accused of pushing drugs and denied an opportunity to defend himself.
His uncle, Randy de los Santos, could not help but see the irony in the situation—based on the reactions of Duterte’s supporters—even as he welcomed the notion that justice may soon be within reach for the victims’ families.
Delos Santos criticized those who claimed that Duterte’s rights were violated when he was turned over to Interpol and transported to The Hague, Netherlands to face trial for murder as a crime against humanity.
“It’s troubling that they (Dutertes) now portray themselves as victims, claiming their human rights are being denied. But during their campaign, did they ever consider how the victims’ families felt?” Delos Santos said in Tagalog in an interview.
“Kian wasn’t even read his Miranda rights. Meanwhile, the former president had everything—competent lawyers, legal representation, and his rights properly read to him. That is due process,” he pointed out.
In 2018, three police officers were found guilty for murdering Kian by a local court. Others who actively participated in the drug war killings or ‘tokhang’ operations have also been facing murder charges and torture.
US-based political activist Brandon Lee, who survived an assassination attempt during the Duterte administration, acknowledged the significance of seeing the former president in detention as he awaits trial.
“It’s just an opinion, but it’s a small measure of justice, that the (former) commander-in-chief, the president who made all these policies like shoot to kill… not only impacted those under the drug war, but activists in the countryside,” he said in a virtual press conference by Bayan USA.
Lee is a Chinese-American human rights and environmental activist from San Francisco, who moved to the Philippines in 2010 to live and work with indigenous peoples in the Cordillera region. He was shot in front of his home in August 2019, but no one has been held accountable to this day.
Editor’s Note: Updates have been made throughout this story.