ICC Prosecutor Fires Back at Duterte's Lawyers: 'Everything He Said Shows Why This Case Must Go to Trial'
In a pointed closing statement at The Hague, ICC Senior Trial Lawyer Julian Nicholls thanked Duterte's defense lawyer Nicholas Kaufman for his arguments — then said every single one of them proved exactly why the case should proceed to full trial. "Everything he said, literally this morning, showed why this case should go to trial," Nicholls declared.
Kaufman had argued that there was no direct evidence linking Duterte to the drug war killings and questioned the credibility of prosecution witnesses. But Nicholls dismissed these as arguments that belong at a trial, not at the confirmation stage. "The witness that supports our charge is enough for the confirmation of charges," he said flatly.
The prosecution zeroed in on the word 'neutralize' — a term Duterte used repeatedly during his anti-drug campaign. Nicholls argued that in context, everyone understood 'neutralize' to mean 'kill.' Multiple witnesses testified consistently to that interpretation. Attempts to "dance around" the term, he said, were irrelevant.
Nicholls also attacked the defense's reliance on police records, noting that reports linked to the anti-drug campaign were often falsified. He pointed to Duterte's power to appoint the national police chief and the DOJ head, arguing this created an environment where abuses could happen with impunity. In crimes against humanity, he noted, there are rarely written orders to kill.
The prosecution's bottom line was devastating: "He ran a death squad. He promised to kill..." The charges against the 80-year-old former president include three counts of crimes against humanity for alleged murder and attempted murder. The confirmation hearing will determine whether the case proceeds to a full trial — and based on today's exchanges, the prosecution seems confident it will.
Source: GMA News
