Conti: Drug war victims prepare mentally for ICC proceedings

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THE HAGUE — Victims of the war on drugs are preparing mentally and physically for proceedings before the International Criminal Court (ICC) as the case against former president Rodrigo Duterte moves closer to trial, a lawyer said Tuesday.

Some victims are reviewing case documents to prepare for the possibility of revisiting painful experiences, Kristina Conti, an ICC counsel representing victims, told GMA News in an interview in The Hague, where the court held its fourth status conference in Duterte’s crimes against humanity case.

“Of course, yung paghahanda sa mga gustong pumunta dito, pero may paghahanda rin silang mental. Yun yung sinasabi nilang, ‘Naku, attorney, kailangan ko na 'yan pag-isipan,’” Conti said.

(Of course, there is preparation for those who want to come here, but they also need mental preparation. They tell me, “Oh, Attorney, I need to think about this carefully.”)

Conti said some victims want to review case documents, preparing themselves as though they would have to present evidence or participate in the hearings.

The ICC case involves alleged crimes against humanity linked to killings during Duterte’s tenure as Davao City mayor and Philippine president, spanning November 2011 to March 2019. Duterte denies the charges.

Tuesday’s fourth status conference was part of the proceedings leading up to the trial, with discussions focusing on preparations for the presentation of evidence and the schedule for the next stage of the case.

Hearing schedule

Conti said the schedule for the trial’s first week provides for four hours of hearings daily, divided into one-hour sessions with 30-minute breaks in between.

“Ang na-settle ay four hours everyday for the first week. One hour each, 30 minutes break in between. Magsisimula ng 10 o'clock, matatapos ng 4:30. Maganda yung hati-hati ang oras kasi makakahinga ka,” she said.

(What has been settled is four hours of hearings every day during the first week, with one-hour sessions and 30-minute breaks in between. The hearings will start at 10 a.m. and end at 4:30 p.m. It is good that the time is divided into segments because people can take a breather.)

She said the schedule was recommended by the ICC Registry, which oversees the court’s administrative and logistical arrangements, rather than by the prosecution or the victims.

Looking ahead to 2027, Conti said the defense had raised concerns about the length and intensity of the evidentiary proceedings, particularly if blocks of evidence were presented consecutively.

She said breaks of two to three weeks between evidentiary blocks could be expected, although the longer-term schedule remains subject to developments in the proceedings.

Despite questions surrounding the timetable, Conti expressed confidence that the hearings would proceed, particularly as discussions increasingly focused on evidence.

“Sa ngayon, confident ako na tuloy-tuloy ang hearing, lalo na pinag-uusapan na ang ebidensya. We're really moving forward to trial, kung saan ang pag-uusapan ay yung substantial,” she said.

(For now, I am confident that the hearings will continue, especially since the evidence is now being discussed. We are really moving forward to trial, where the substantive matters will be addressed.) —VBL, GMA News