'Hindi Kami Numero Lang' — Families of Drug War Victims Face Duterte at ICC Pretrial Hearings
For four emotional days inside the International Criminal Court in The Hague, the families of those killed during Rodrigo Duterte's bloody drug war finally got what they've waited nearly a decade for — the chance to be heard. Grace Garganta, whose father and brother were killed in 2016, sat in the public gallery as ICC prosecutors laid out chilling evidence of systematic extrajudicial killings under Duterte's command.
Duterte, now 80 years old and detained at The Hague since his arrest in the Philippines last March, faces three counts of crimes against humanity for murder. The charges are tied to thousands of reported killings during his anti-drug campaign — first as Davao City mayor, then as president. He waived his right to attend the pretrial hearings in person, leaving his lawyer Nicholas Kaufman to argue that relying on Duterte's past speeches to prove criminal intent is unreliable.
"This is not yet a victory. But it is a huge step in that long stairway to justice," Garganta told DW, visibly emotional after the hearings. She spent years in hiding after becoming a potential witness, gripped by fear of retaliation. She had first traveled to The Hague in September when the hearing was originally scheduled, only for it to be postponed at the request of Duterte's lawyers citing his frail health.
Outside the court, Duterte's supporters held vigil — wearing "Bring Him Home" caps and calling for his release. Among them were Filipino seafarers from Rotterdam and overseas workers who credit Duterte with standing up for OFWs abroad. The ICC has already rejected a bid for Duterte's interim release, ordering him to remain in custody. Judges now have up to 60 days to decide whether there are "substantial grounds" to proceed to a full trial.
The pretrial hearings have laid bare the deep divisions the drug war still causes in Philippine society — victims' families on one side demanding justice, Duterte's loyal base on the other insisting he acted in the country's interests. Whatever the ICC decides in the coming weeks, one thing is clear: for families like the Gargantas, the fight is far from over.
Source: DW News
