Try
The Prosecution and the Victims : Former president Rodrigo Duterte masterminded the killing of thousands of mostly poor Filipinos and there is evidence to support this. Charges against the detained former leader must be confirmed so he can face trial for his crimes.The Defense: Duterte murdered no one. Charges against him must be dismissed and he should be allowed to go home to Davao
It is not enough simply to assert that Rodrigo Duterte said outrageous things, and that deaths occurred, and so, as a result, he must be criminally responsible - Kaufman
Forty years have passed. There were times when the EDSA spirit seemed to have waned. But the celebration on Wednesday showed the desire for freedom and democracy is deep and strong among us.
By the time Butuyan concluded, there were not a few dry eyes in the gallery. He had articulated to a T the general public sentiment of the Duterte case in the ICC. We in the gallery were momentarily suspended in a state of disbelief.
For the first time in its one year of monthly monitoring of state-related violence, Sandatahang Dahas recorded body dumps of state agents.
Prosecutors played video clips and cited transcripts of Duterte’s speeches in which he issued his “kill, kill” orders, promised to shield police from prosecution and assured them they would not go to jail for actions taken in the drug war.
Joel Butuyan: Truth is the antidote to the virus of impunity, Your Honors. The victims dread a future where charges are not confirmed. It will mean that the virus of impunity will continue to spread and infect many more.
‘Yan ang sigaw ng mga kamag-anak ng mga biktima ng extrajudicial killings noong ipinatupad ni dating pangulong Rodrigo Duterte ang kanyang madugong war on drugs o giyera laban sa droga, habang hinihintay nila ang confirmation hearings sa International Criminal Court sa The Hague, Netherlands.
Is Duterte too frail to remember, or simply too defiant to face the music? Even his own prosecutor has described him as an “unreliable historian” of his health. He adjusts the story as needed. The “sickly” act is a shield , one that spares him the gaze of mothers and children who lost loved ones in the drug war, some of whom have traveled to The Hague seeking justice. By remaining in his cell, he preserves the tough-guy image for supporters back home.
Presiding Judge Iulia Antonella Motoc to Nicholas Kaufman: The Chamber, therefore, urges the Defence to place substance over stylistic and theatrical formulation.
