Sara Duterte slams ICC as father Rody allegedly found unconscious in detention
MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte on Saturday, September 27, raised alarm over the treatment of her father, former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, saying that he was reportedly found unconscious on the floor of his room and had to undergo laboratory tests while in detention at the International Criminal Court in The Hague.
In a strongly worded statement, Sara Duterte accused the ICC of allowing Philippine government agents to conduct what was described as “welfare checks,” calling it “an abuse of power against a vulnerable individual.”
She said the family was not notified of the incident, raising serious questions about the court’s capacity to guarantee the former president’s safety and well-being.
"The continued detention of Former President Duterte under such troubling conditions is not only unjust but inhumane. It amounts to punishment without having been convicted of any crime," the vice president said.
Sara also criticized the ICC for neglecting basic medical needs, which include delays in attending to a minor issue like an ingrown toenail and the lack of a 24-hour bedside caregiver despite the former president’s frail health.
The vice president said that her father is "not a flight risk, has never threatened witnesses or complainants, and has no intent to assume the office of Mayor."
"There is no other reason for his continued detention except to make him suffer for the complaint of a disgraced former Senator," she added.
Duterte, 80, has been detained at the ICC detention center in The Hague since March 13, facing three counts of crimes against humanity linked to his controversial war on drugs as both Davao City mayor and Philippine president.
The vice president called on the ICC to take immediate action to ensure her father is afforded proper medical care and humanitarian consideration, saying that depriving an elderly man of dignity and basic care is "not justice" but "cruelty."
"The ICC should act now to rectify this gross injustice and ensure that Former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte is afforded the proper care and, ultimately, the humanitarian considerations he rightfully deserves," she said.
ICC: Consent needed for consular visits
The statement comes days after the vice president said she received “disturbing” information that a report on her father was submitted to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. by the Philippine embassy in The Hague.
According to her, officials entered the detention unit under the false pretense of conducting a welfare check and interviewed her father, accusing them of abusing the rules regarding consular visits.
The ICC has clarified that consular visits require the detainee’s consent and are conducted in accordance with international standards, spokesperson Fadi El Abdallah said.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) confirmed that Philippine embassy officials in The Hague visited the former president at the ICC detention facility to conduct a welfare check.
"This is in line with its functions under the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations and relevant Philippine laws to protect the welfare of all Filipinos,” the DFA said, saying that the visit was “no different from what the DFA does for other Filipino citizens who are in detention abroad.”
On Saturday, the elder Duterte’s defense counsel, Nicholas Kaufman, said that the Philippine government appears willing to accept a ruling that would allow the former president’s temporary release.
However, Malacañang pushed back, accusing Kaufman of twisting facts regarding the Marcos administration’s alleged stance before the ICC on Duterte’s possible interim release. — with a report from Cristina Chi
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