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Relatives of drug suspects, who were allegedly illegally killed under orders from former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte, post portraits of Duterte and his alleged co-perpetrators during a rally along a street in Manila on March 11, 2026, on the first anniversary of the former president's arrest and handover to the Netherland-based International Criminal Court (ICC).
AFP / Ted Aljibe
MANILA, Philippines — Up to 1,000 victims may participate in the upcoming trial of detained former President Rodrigo Duterte before the International Criminal Court, ICC Assistant to Counsel Kristina Conti said.
In an interview with ANC on Sunday, May 31, Conti said the number of victims expected to participate in Duterte's trial is estimated at 500 to 1,000.
"Kung lima kayo sa pamilya, lima kaagad 'yung biktima na maituturing. At kung gagamit kayo ng household forms, isang submitan 'yun. Kaya't sa tantya namin, mahigit sa 500 ang interesado pa na mag-apply kaya mukhang aabot pa tayo ng 1,000," Conti said.
(If there are five members in a family, all five may immediately be considered victims. If household forms are used, that would be one submission. Based on our estimate, more than 500 people are still interested in applying, so it looks like we could reach 1,000.)
The victims Conti referred to are victims of Duterte's anti-drug campaign, which human rights groups estimate may have killed up to 30,000 people. Sen. Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa, Duterte's former police chief and one of the chief implementers of the campaign, is also wanted by the ICC.
Victim applications
Victim participants are different from witnesses. At the ICC, victims affected by the alleged crimes may apply to take part in proceedings and have their views and concerns presented through legal representatives, as long as this does not affect the accused’s right to a fair trial, under Article 68(3) of the Rome Statute.
The ICC opened application forms for victims in 2021. After the ICC confirmed the charges against Duterte in April 2026, the court said it would resume evaluating victim applications to allow victims to participate in the upcoming trial.
The ICC has set the opening of Duterte's trial for November 30.
Prosecutors told the chamber they plan to call between 60 and 70 witnesses, including about 31 insider witnesses.
Duterte is accused of crimes against humanity of murder over killings allegedly committed from 2013 to 2018.
