WALANG maipakikitang ebidensya si dating Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte para idepensa ang kanyang sarili sa kasong crimes against humanity sa International Criminal Court kaya taktikang pag-aantala sa paglilitis ang kanyang ginagawa.
Inihayag ito ni Bayan Muna Chairman at human rights lawyer Neri Colmenares kasunod ng ulat na isusumite ng kampo ni Duterte ang resulta ng imbestigasyon ng Senate Foreign Relations Committee kaugnay sa pagdakip sa dating pangulo at pagsuko sa kanya sa ICC.
Giit ni Colmenares, walang silbi ang panibagong delaying tactic na ito ng abogado ni Duterte na si Nicolas Kauffman lalo na’t wala siyang katibayan na inaprobahan ito ng Senado dahil ginawa ng komite ang imbestigasyon habang naka-recess ang Senado.
“Submitting the results of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee is another useless delaying tactic as the ICC is not bound by the Senate findings, especially since Mr. Kauffman has no proof whatsoever that the same was officially approved by the Senate which was then on recess at the time of the hearings,” sabi ni Colmenares sa isang kalatas.
Ito aniya ay isang pirasong papel lamang na nagsasaad ng mga opinyon ng isang senador na kakampi ni Duterte at hindi naman kasali ang ICC sa mga maniobra sa politika sa Pilipinas.
Binigyan diin ni Colmenares na ang tanging usapin sa ICC ay kung alam o inutos ni Duterte ang mga naganap na extrajudicial killings sa ipinatupad niyang drug war.
Panawagan ni Colmenares sa ICC, ibasura ang hirit na interim release ni Duterte.
“The only issue before the ICC is whether Pres. Duterte ordered or knows of the EJKs committed during his drug war. We urge the Pre-Trial Chamber to deny this latest delaying tactic of Atty. Kaufmann and dismiss Pres. Duterte’s application for interim release, ”wika ng Bayan Muna chairman.
“Delaying na, doble kara pa si Pres. Duterte. Pres. Duterte demands that the Philippines should have followed Article 59 of the Rome Statute of the ICC which requires that he be brought before a Philippine court after his arrest, while at the same time insisting that his arrest was illegal because the Philippines has withdrawn from the ICC and is therefore no longer bound by its rules and jurisdiction. In any case, Pres. Duterte’s camp was able to file several petitions before the Supreme Court. The fact that the Court did not issue a TRO does not justify his interim release in the ICC. This is a classic case of muddling the issue to delay the case,” paliwanag ni Colmenares.
Kagagawan aniya mismo ni Duterte ang problemang kinakaharap niya na matapos ialis ang Pilipina sa ICC at nanindigan na hindi dapat sundin ang mga kautusan at patakaran nito, ngayon nama’y ipinipilit na dapat sundin ng Pilipinas ang Article 59 ng Rome Statute at ICC rules.
“This problem of Duterte is actually of his own making—after withdrawing the Philippines from the ICC and asserting that Philippines should not follow ICC order and rules, he now insists that the Philippines should have followed Article 59 of the Rome Statute and the ICC rules”.
Nais aniya ni Duterte na i-delay at iwasan ang paglilitis dahil alam niya na kapag nagsimula na ang paglilitis, siguradong mako-convict siya bunsod ng kawalan ng katibayan upang patunayan na inosente siya sa naganap na EJKs sa kanyang drug war.
“Pres. Duterte wants to delay and avoid a trial as he is aware that there is no evidence that he can present to prove that he is innocent and has nothing to do with the killings during his war on drugs. Once the ICC confirms the charges on September 23 and trial starts, Pres. Duterte knows that his conviction is just a matter of time,” sabi ni Colmenares.
“Anong ebidensya ang maari niyang i-submit para sabihing wala syang kinalaman sa EJK noong inutos nya sa mga pulis na patayin ang mga addict? Wala. This is why he wants to avoid trial by delaying tactics such as questioning the ICC jurisdiction, applying for interim release and engaging in long winded debates with the prosecution and the victims. The ICC should deny these latest delaying tactic of Kauffman and deny the application for interim release,” pagtatapos ni Colmenares. (ROSE NOVENARIO)