Justice can only be served if former President Rodrigo Duterte is held accountable for crimes against humanity committed under his drug war, the International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP) asserted on Tuesday.
The group called for widespread support to block Duterte’s interim release, emphasizing that he should not be allowed to return to the Philippines to safeguard victims and prevent any interference with the ongoing investigation.
They also urged the Marcos administration to fully cooperate with the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Earlier, Duterte’s lead counsel at The Hague, lawyer Nicholas Kaufman, revealed that they are considering filing for the former president’s interim release.
Kaufman said Duterte has the right to seek such a motion, though they have yet to determine a specific timeline for submission.
ICHRP reiterated its demand for full accountability, not only for Duterte but also for those complicit in his alleged crimes, including former high-ranking government officials, cabinet members, and Philippine National Police (PNP) chiefs who served under his administration.
“ICHRP calls on the international community to stand in solidarity with the victims by launching mobilizations and releasing statements condemning the harassment and re-echoing the calls of families for full accountability,” the group stated.
“We must not allow this re-victimization of the families and survivors who have been at the forefront of the movement for justice. We must continue to stand behind them, provide any support possible, and demand justice for the thousands of victims of Duterte’s war on the poor and dissent,” it added.
ICHRP also noted that families of the victims continue to face harassment and threats from Duterte’s supporters.
Citing data from forensic analysis group The Nerve, the coalition highlighted that Duterte’s supporters have turned to social media manipulation to influence discussions surrounding the former president’s case with the ICC.
The data found that pro-Duterte Facebook pages had allocated budgets ranging from P1,000 to P1,499 (USD 17.44 to USD 26.15) for paid advertisements embedding political propaganda.
“The Duterte camp, in desperation, has resorted to dirty tactics to try to derail the proceedings and divert the people’s attention from the real issue, which is accountability,” the ICHRP said.
“Duterte is trying to sway public opinion by playing the victim card, when in fact he was the mastermind of a brutal and bloody war on the poor that claimed 30,000 lives under his presidency,” the group added.