‘I Am Old, Tired, and Frail’: Duterte Wants to Skip His Own ICC Hearing
Former President Rodrigo Duterte is trying to dodge his own day in court — literally. In a last-minute move, the 80-year-old asked the International Criminal Court to let him skip the confirmation of charges hearing scheduled for February 23 to 27, saying he’s too old and frail to sit through legal proceedings he’ll “forget within minutes.”
The request was filed by Duterte’s lawyer Nicholas Kaufman on Wednesday after the former president verbally dictated a waiver to his legal team. “I do not wish to attend legal proceedings that I will forget within minutes. I am old, tired, and frail. I wish for this Court to respect my peace inside the cell it has placed me,” Duterte said in his signed letter.
Kaufman explained that the pre-trial chamber had required Duterte to “personally execute” the waiver, but argued his client is no longer capable of writing anything on his own. The former president also rejected the option of following the proceedings via videolink from outside the courtroom, saying he trusts his lawyers to challenge the prosecution’s evidence on his behalf.
Duterte faces three counts of murder constituting crimes against humanity, covering 49 specific incidents of killings — from the Davao Death Squad era to the nationwide war on drugs — that resulted in 78 deaths. Despite an independent medical panel finding him fit for pre-trial, Kaufman continues to insist his client is cognitively impaired.
“I have accepted the fact that I could die in prison. But those that desire this fate for me should know that my heart and soul will always remain in the Philippines,” Duterte added. The ICC judges have until Friday to decide whether to proceed without him. Victims’ families and their lawyers are already en route to The Hague.
Source: Rappler
