A woman identified only as “Mira,” whose two siblings were killed in the Duterte administration’s drug war, is now in The Hague, Netherlands, preparing to participate in the upcoming International Criminal Court (ICC) trial against former President Rodrigo Duterte.
In a report by Mariz Umali for 24 Oras, Mira shared that her brothers were wrongly accused of drug involvement and shot during a police operation in May 2017. She hopes her participation will prove that many victims exist and that fear continues to silence them. “We’re here to show that we exist… and that many victims are too scared to speak out,” she said.
According to a 16-page document from the ICC registry, consultations were held with over 200 representatives of more than 2,000 extrajudicial killing (EJK) victims and over 1,500 families. The consultations were part of preparations and not specifically about Duterte’s case.
ICC spokesperson Fadi El Abdallah clarified that only certain individuals may be called as witnesses during the confirmation of charges in September. “Not every victim will testify. A witness may be a victim, but also an expert or insider,” he explained.
To help victims identify themselves, the ICC is asking the court to accept various Philippine-issued IDs, given the national ID system’s incomplete rollout. The Court assured that victims’ identities will be kept confidential.
Duterte is being held at Scheveningen Prison in The Hague. While official records report over 6,000 deaths in police drug operations, human rights groups estimate the real toll may be as high as 30,000.