The confirmation of charges hearing for former President Rodrigo Duterte’s crimes against humanity case at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands, will be livestreamed on the ICC’s website—with a 30-minute delay to safeguard sensitive information—and will run for four days, from Sept. 23 to 26.
According to information posted on the ICC’s website, proceedings will begin at 9:30 a.m. (Netherlands time) each day, from Sept. 23 through Sept. 26, at Courtroom 1.
During the confirmation of charges hearing, the prosecution and defense will spend 30 minutes each for their opening statements and another 30 minutes for their closing statements.
They are also expected to spend three to four hours addressing the legal issues of the case.
Office of Public Counsel for Victims (OPCV) Principal Counsel Paolina Massidda, whose office represents the victims of Duterte’s alleged bloody war on drugs policy during his presidency, has also requested for 30 minutes each for its opening and closing statements.
“She also submits that 2 hours is an appropriate time for the Common Legal Representative(s) to present on the merits of the case and on the extent of the victimi(z)ation suffered by the victims,” the document dated Aug. 25 said.
The confirmation of charges hearing is a critical pre-trial phase that will determine whether the case against the former president will proceed to trial.
Nicholas Kaufman, Duterte’s lead counsel, earlier explained that the prosecution must convince the judges during the hearing “that there are substantial grounds to believe that the suspect, in this case, the former president, committed the crimes which the prosecution alleges he committed.”
