Joselito Malig

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Kaxandra Salonga

ABS-CBN News

<p>MANILA — A group of human rights advocates demanded the International Criminal Court (ICC) to impose disciplinary measures against former President Rodrigo Duterte’s lawyer, Nicolas Kaufman, for his alleged “professional and legal misconduct.”</p><div><br/></div><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display:flex;max-width:550px;width:100%;margin-top:10px;margin-bottom:10px"><iframe id="twitter-widget-2" scrolling="no" frameBorder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" title="X Post" 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style="position:static;visibility:visible;width:532px;height:661px;display:block;flex-grow:1" data-tweet-id="1972641138898075805"></iframe></div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charSet="utf-8"></script><div><br/></div><p>In a statement penned by Center for International Law (CenterLaw) with other civil society groups, they expressed “grave concern and alarm” over alleged attempts by Kaufman to misrepresent the positions of parties involved in the ICC proceedings.</p><p>“Mr. Kaufman has distorted the factual record before the Court in order to advance the defendant’s application for interim release, revealing a pattern of professional and legal misconduct that directly undermines the confidence of the global and Filipino public in the Court,” it read.</p><p>They cited two incidents wherein Kaufman allegedly distorted the record to support Duterte’s bid for interim release.</p><p>The group said that on June 12, Kaufman “inaccurately claimed in a Court filing that the Office of the Prosecutor (OTP) had met with defense counsel and agreed to the interim release of the defendant under certain publicly redacted terms.”</p><p>The OTP later denied this in later findings of the Court.</p><p>They added that Kaufman repeated the pattern in September when he allegedly “mischaracterized” the remarks of Presidential Press Undersecretary Claire Castro.</p><p>According to the group, Castro’s statement that “whatever the decision of the [ICC], the government [of the Philippines] will accept it” was allegedly turned into supposed support for Duterte’s release request.</p><p>“While the statement is simple on its face and shows due regard to the independence and legitimacy of decisions made by an international judicial body, Mr. Kaufman has twisted its meaning and implications into support for an assertion that the Philippine government does not oppose the Defense’s request for interim release,” it read.</p><p>The groups said distrust is sowed among crimes against humanity victims when counselors like Kaufman “obscure the truth of proceedings.”</p><p>They urged the OTP and the Office of Public Counsel for Victims to initiate applications for disciplinary sanctions against Kaufman.</p><p>They also requested the Philippine government to counter Kaufman’s claims and consider disciplinary measures.</p><p>“The victims of Duterte’s crimes against humanity have turned to the ICC as a court of last resort after years of failure and disappointment before domestic judicial mechanisms,” the groups said.</p><p>“Their pain and suffering is further deepened by manipulation and unethical tactics from counsel that makes a mockery of and undermines their hopes for a trustworthy legal process.”</p><p>ICC prosecutors earlier charged Duterte with three counts of crimes against humanity over thousands of killings during his administration’s anti-drug campaign.</p>

<p>Center for International Law (CenterLaw) and other civil society groups expressed “grave concern and alarm” over alleged attempts by Kaufman to misrepresent the positions of parties involved in the ICC proceedings.</p>

Center for International Law (CenterLaw) and other civil society groups expressed “grave concern and alarm” over alleged attempts by Kaufman to misrepresent the positions of parties involved in the ICC proceedings.

Human rights groups demand disciplinary action vs Duterte’s lawyer for alleged ‘legal misconduct’

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Human rights groups demand disciplinary action vs Duterte’s lawyer for alleged ‘legal misconduct’

Kaxandra Salonga,

ABS-CBN News

Published Sep 29, 2025 08:58 PM PHT

Read More:

Rodrigo Duterte

Nicholas Kaufman

ICC

International Criminal Court

CenterLaw

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