ICC pre-trial: Kaufman questions case on high-value targets in drug war

MANILA, Philippines – The last day of former president Rodrigo Duterte’s confirmation of charges hearing at the International Criminal Court was underway on Friday, February 27.

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JAIRO BOLLEDO, JUSTICE REPORTER:

Former president Rodrigo Duterte’s lawyer Nicholas Kaufman now attacks the second case against his client, which covers the deaths of high-value drug war victims. Kaufman says being dubbed as a high-value target does not make one a target of killings. He claims that there were more surrenders and arrests than those killed in HVT incidents.

The problem with HVT incidents is Duterte’s faulty “PRRD list” or the narco list. The said list was arbitrary and was even used against critics of the former president. Apart from that, the cases of the Parojinogs and Roland Espinosa show that the inclusion in the said list leads to deaths.

JAIRO BOLLEDO, JUSTICE REPORTER:

Kaufman claims that in the incidents where some high-value drug targets were killed, warrants were actually issued by courts. However, it must be noted that the issuance of warrants was not the only issue but [also] how these warrants were implemented.

These supposed lawful operations actually led to deaths, like in the case of the Parojinogs and Roland Espinosa.

Under Duterte, a number of activists and human rights workers were also arrested and killed during the enforcement of warrants. Some activists call some of the local courts “warrants factories” due to a number of warrants issued by them, which were particularly used against activists.

– with reports from Jairo Bolledo/Rappler.com