ICC Day 2: Prosecutors Say Duterte's Drug Watch List Was Basically a 'Dead List' — Victims' Families Speak of Trauma and Stigma
Day 2 of the ICC confirmation of charges hearing against Rodrigo Duterte got even more intense on Tuesday, with prosecution lawyers laying out how the former president's so-called drug watch list allegedly functioned as a "dead list" — naming people who were then systematically killed in police operations.
ICC trial lawyer Edward Jeremy told the court that Duterte's "PRRD list" was used by police to identify targets, and those named were frequently killed. Trial lawyer Robynne Croft went further, presenting a power structure chart showing how co-perpetrators allegedly controlled key agencies — the executive, police, PDEA, NBI, and DOJ — to ensure subordinates carried out violent operations against suspected drug personalities.
Croft argued that without Duterte's involvement, "the crimes in this case would not have been committed, or they would have been committed in a significantly different way." She said Duterte intentionally carried out and facilitated the crimes, having established the Duterte Death Squad and knowingly pursued a plan that led to mass killings.
Perhaps the most emotional moment came when Paolina Massidda, principal counsel for victims at the ICC, spoke on behalf of the 539 recognized victims. She told the judges that the victims "appear today before you not as a statistic" and described how families of drug war victims were "told implicitly that their loved ones deserved what happened to them" — continuing to face stigma on top of their grief and trauma.
The hearings continue on February 26 and 27. After all four days conclude, ICC judges will have 60 calendar days to decide whether there's enough evidence to send the case to a full trial. For the families who lost loved ones in the drug war, this is the closest they've come to justice. Matagal na nilang hinintay 'to.
Source: Inquirer.net
