Drug War Victims Recount Trauma in ICC Submissions

Families of victims of the Duterte administration's deadly campaign against illegal drugs have recounted to the International Criminal Court (ICC) the impact of the killings on their lives.

- By JANVIC MATEO

The ICC Registry's Victims Participation and Reparations Section (VPRS) submitted to the Pre-Trial Chamber a selection of quotes from some of the applications it received from those who wish to participate in the proceedings.

One submission recounted the impact of the death of their parents in the drug war.

"When our parents died, no one supported us anymore except our relatives, but they were also poor like us and have their own families to feed. So even if we were children then, we had to work also," the submission read.

Another narrated the long-term impact of the killing of their sons, both on their health and their psychological well-being.

"Now, I am still suffering from trauma. Whenever I see a patrol car, I get afraid because I would imagine the bodies of my... sons thrown into a patrol car that day. Whenever I see a police officer, I would be enraged," the parent was quoted as saying.

"To be honest, I voted for Duterte. I liked his policy. But I didn't know that his policy was that of death... After what had happened to my son, the killings (in our area) continued until 2020. There were many more. Many more victims wish to come forward," the parent said.