MANILA, Philippines — The International Criminal Court (ICC) has rejected a request by victims' representatives to use Tagalog in portions of their opening statement in the trial of former president Rodrigo Duterte, ruling that the presentation must be delivered in English.
Paolina Massidda, counsel for the victims, asked the court to allow limited use of Tagalog to quote portions of victims' accounts during the opening statement when Duterte's trial begins on Nov. 30.
Massidda said the request was intended to help Filipino victims following the proceedings connect with the experiences being presented to the judges.
She told the chamber that the use of Tagalog would be limited to about 15 to 20 minutes of the overall presentation, with individual passages lasting only a minute or two.
Presiding Judge Joanna Korner, however, said the Rome Statute identifies English and French as the ICC's working languages and that exceptional grounds would be needed to permit the use of another language.
“The Rome Statute is quite clear. The working languages of the court are English and French,” Korner said.
The judge also noted that Tagalog was not spoken by all victims, some of whom speak other Philippine languages.
Korner said the court would ensure that the proceedings were interpreted and that it would consider whether Tagalog translations or transcripts could be made available on the ICC website.
The ruling means the victims' representatives must deliver their opening statement in English, although interpretation will be provided during the proceedings.
The prosecution is expected to deliver its opening statement first, followed by the victims' representatives. The prosecution said it was working to limit its presentation to about three hours or less, while the victims' team was also reviewing the time allotted for its statement.
Duterte's trial is scheduled to open on Nov. 30 before ICC Trial Chamber III in The Hague, the Netherlands.
The former president faces three counts of crimes against humanity involving murder and attempted murder in connection with killings allegedly committed during his tenure as Davao City mayor and president.
The charges cover alleged killings in Davao City between 2013 and June 2016, killings of so-called high-value targets nationwide from July 2016 to July 2017, and killings during barangay clearance operations from July 2016 to September 2018.
