MANILA, Philippines — The Pre-Trial Chamber I of the International Criminal Court (ICC) authorized dozens of victims to participate in the proceedings against former president Rodrigo Duterte and ordered the appointment of a common legal team to represent them collectively.
In a decision issued on Monday, January 26, the Chamber ruled that 29 applicants classified as “Group A,” as well as an unspecified number of applicants from “Group C,” may participate as victims during the pre-trial phase.
The applicants alleged harm arising from murders and attempted murders linked to Duterte’s anti-drug campaign, covering the period when he served as mayor of Davao City and later as president.
The Chamber denied applications from “Group B” and from a sub-group of “Group C,” finding that the alleged harms fell outside the temporal or geographic scope of the charges currently before the Court.
Duterte is facing charges of alleged crimes against humanity involving murder. In its Document Containing the Charges, the Prosecution cited 49 incidents involving 78 victims, clarifying that the list is non-exhaustive.
Legal representatives
The Chamber directed the ICC Registry to appoint three lawyers to represent all admitted victims --Joel Butuyan and Gilbert Andres--who were preferred by a majority of the applicants—and one from the Office of Public Counsel for Victims (OPCV).
The decision noted that the Registry found no conflicts of interest that would prevent common representation and that all three lawyers confirmed their availability and absence of conflicting commitments. The Chamber rejected objections raised by the defense regarding the lawyers’ previous public statements, finding no evidence of inappropriate conduct that would affect their eligibility.
The Chamber also denied a defense request to be informed whether any participating victims were linked to a 2018 communication submitted to the former ICC Prosecutor, citing the need to protect victim security and the limited procedural purpose of victim applications.
It further rejected a request by the OPCV to re-open the victim application process, ruling that admitting new applications at this stage would unduly delay proceedings. Victims whose applications were rejected may re-apply should the case proceed to trial.
The confirmation of charges hearing, where judges will determine whether sufficient evidence exists to send the case to trial, was scheduled to begin on February 23, 2026.