Duterte lead counsel to supporters: Respect ICC judicial process

Metro Manila, Philippines – As supporters of former President Rodrigo Duterte gathered in The Hague, Netherlands, his lead counsel, Nicholas Kaufman, said respecting the International Criminal Court (ICC) proceedings is important

In an interview on Monday, March 31, Kaufman said the Duterte family had requested him to remind supporters about observing the process.

"The family wants me to convey a message that the judicial process must be respected. There must be absolutely no interference with the independence of the court, with the judges, and for all the parties," Kaufman said.

He said ICC cases often carry strong political implications, with multiple participants in the process, including the prosecution, the defense, and the victims.

"Every case of the International Criminal Court is always a highly charged case from a political point of view. There are participants in that process - there’s the prosecution, there’s the defense, and also there are the victims. The victims’ counsels will make their submissions in court, and their right to make those submissions must be respected. So I ask everybody to bear that in mind. All the supporters who have demonstrated this huge expression of love should also bear that in mind as well," he added.

Kaufman noted that public demonstrations of support during ICC proceedings are common.

"This happened in other cases as well. When the case gets to a critical stage, there is always a huge demonstration of support from people of the country concerned. And that's happened quite frequently in this court," he said.

The veteran trial lawyer recently visited Duterte at his detention facility and shared that the former president is doing well despite the circumstances.

"He's in good spirits, and I will keep on saying that because he is in good spirits. Obviously, he's 80 years old, and with all the accompanying medical issues that come with someone of that age, it's not easy to adjust to life in detention or ICC detention. So those are the only challenges he's facing at the moment," Kaufman sa