The International Criminal Court has authorized 500 applicants to participate as victims in the crimes against humanity case against former president Rodrigo Duterte.
In a five-page decision, Pre-Trial Chamber I said it found no “clear, material error” in the assessment of the Victims Participation and Reparations Section (VPRS), which reviewed 227 applications covering the 500 individuals.
“The Chamber… concurs with the VPRS’s assessment and decides to authorize the 500 Group A applicants to participate as victims in the present proceedings,” the tribunal said, noting a flexible approach to minor discrepancies in the applications.
The chamber added that the Common Legal Representative for Victims will represent those admitted under the decision.
Earlier, the ICC Registry transmitted 227 applications to the chamber on February 9, following a January 28 order to submit additional filings within the deadline. On January 26, the chamber had approved the participation of 39 victims.
Duterte faces charges of murder and attempted murder as crimes against humanity in connection with thousands of deaths linked to his anti-drug campaign during his tenure as Davao City mayor and Philippine president.
