Over 300 drug war victims apply to take part in Duterte's ICC case

The International Criminal Court (ICC) Registry said that it received 303 applications from people who want to be recognized as victims of former president's Rodrigo Duterte's war on drugs.

- By RAYMUND ANTONIO

"[T]he VPRS (Victims Participation and Reparations Section) received 303 application forms—a limited figure compared to the number of WoD victims who wish to participate in the case," the Registry said in a 14-page document dated Aug. 20 posted on the ICC's website.

Government data said there were about 7,000 victims of the drug war, although human rights groups put this number to more than 20,000.

The first application forms were received on July 25, while the last were received on Aug. 15.

The Registry also assured that it has done preliminary investigation into the applications to ensure the "natural" identity of the applicants, that they suffered harm, and that the harm they suffered were the results of the crimes charged against the former president.

It also said that "extensive meetings and consultations" were conducted "to ensure transparency and inclusivity of victims' views at every step of the process." "The VPRS informed them about victims' rights at the current stage of proceedings, consulted them on the methodology and design of the victims' participation process, the tools to be used (i.e., the individual and the household form)," it stated, adding that the application form for the victims were in Tagalog, Cebuano, English, and French, and that the applicants were guided on filling up the form.