MANILA, Philippines – Minaliit ni dating presidential chief legal counsel Salvador Panelo ang bigat ng ebidensyang iniharap laban kay dating Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte sa ikalawang araw ng confirmation of charges hearing ng International Criminal Court (ICC) sa The Hague, at tinawag ang testimonya at video ng mga drug war victims bilang “blusters.”
Ginawa ni Panelo ang pahayag matapos ilahad ng victims’ counsel na si Gilbert Andres ang mga alegasyon, kabilang ang umano’y mga biktima na “forcefully separated from the physical clutches of their family members protecting them.”
“It is not true that they were killed defenselessly,” ani Panelo sa mga mamamahayag.
“For instance, the emotional appeal of one of the lawyers there, focusing on the suffering of the poor… ‘Yung mga speeches na yun, bluster lang yun. It has nothing to do with what happened,” aniya.
“You have to pursue what were the circumstances kung bakit pinatay yan. Inutusan ba sila? Hindi naman sila inutusan,” dagdag niya.
Inulit din ni Panelo ang posisyon ni Duterte na maaaring gumamit ng lethal force ang pulisya sa ilalim ng doctrine of self-defense. Sinabi rin niyang pinag-aaralan ng defense team ang kanilang legal strategy, kabilang ang pagkuwestyon sa hurisdiksyon ng ICC.
“The ICC cannot intrude into any country member state if it has the capacity to prosecute criminals, and the country has that,” ani Panelo.
Samantala, sinabi ni human rights lawyer Neri Colmenares na pinalakas ng presentasyon ng prosekusyon ang kaso laban kay Duterte.
“As far as that is concerned, they have established more that there is sufficient probability that President Duterte committed crimes against humanity,” ani Colmenares.
Magpapatuloy ang confirmation of charges hearing sa Pebrero 26 at 27. May 60 araw ang ICC Pre-Trial Chamber I upang magpasya kung may sapat na ebidensya upang ituloy ang full trial laban sa dating pangulo. RNT
