THE International Criminal Court (ICC) has rejected former President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s legal team’s attempt to limit the types of identity documents that victims can use to participate in the ongoing investigation into his administration’s bloody war on drugs.
In a 20-page order, dated April 17, the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber approved the list of identity documents proposed by the ICC Registry, affirming that the victim verification process already includes sufficient safeguards against fraud.
The judges noted that the Registry provided detailed descriptions of each accepted document, including the issuing authorities and sample formats.
The court also upheld the Registry’s proposal to allow alternative forms of identification in exceptional cases — such as a declaration signed by two witnesses, accompanied by their own valid IDs — if standard documents are unavailable.
However, the chamber agreed with the defense that the use of such alternative documents should be assessed individually.
Each case will be reviewed based on the Registry’s evaluation and recommendation before acceptance.
The ICC Registry, which oversees the court’s administrative and support services, earlier submitted a list of 30 types of identification documents to verify the identities of victim applicants and their representatives.
The Registry also highlighted delays in the Philippines’ national ID rollout as a reason to allow flexibility in verifying identities.
Mr. Duterte, 80, was arrested last March on charges of crimes against humanity for this bloody drug war which allegedly killed thousands of Filipinos without due process. — Chloe Mari A. Hear
