ICC urged: Consider Duterte’s health

A PHILIPPINE lawmaker on Wednesday called on the International Criminal Court (ICC) to consider the frail health of ex-President Rodrigo R. Duterte when it decides on his temporary release request.

In a statement, Party-list Rep. Roberto Gerard L. Nazal, Jr. said the tribunal’s appeals chamber should act with “humanitarian compassion” toward Mr. Duterte, whom he described as an “elderly detainee facing health challenges.”

“We are praying for a decision that balances justice with humanitarian compassion, and one that will help put closure on an issue that has divided our country,” he said.

Mr. Duterte, 80, was arrested by Philippine authorities and flown to The Hague, Netherlands in March for alleged crimes against humanity linked to his deadly drug war that has defined his six-year term.

His lawyer had since sought his interim release from the ICC’s detention center, wishing for his temporary freedom while the case is still ongoing. Tribunal hearings typically last years.

His appeals ruling is set for Nov. 28, Friday.

Police say 6,200 suspects were killed in anti-drug operations that often ended in shootouts, but rights groups estimate the toll of Mr. Duterte’s crackdown to be over 30,000, many of whom were slain under suspicious circumstances by masked men.

Mr. Nazal acknowledged that Filipinos await the tribunal to deliver long-hoped justice for the alleged killings perpetrated under Mr. Duterte’s rule but said that “justice is not vengeance.”

“Many still wait for justice. And we must never diminish that pain, nor forget the cost of silence,” he said. “However, we must also remember that justice is not vengeance, and that compassion is not weakness.”

Mr. Duterte, whose six‑year term empowered the police to act on drug claims, remains a divisive yet popular figure in the Southeast Asian nation, with supporters arguing his anti‑drug campaign was necessary to curb rising criminality. — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio