ICC says consular visits are conducted with approval, request of detained

Consular visits are only conducted with the approval or at the request of the detained individual, the International Criminal Court (ICC) said Wednesday amid reports of a welfare check conducted by Philippine officials on former President Rodrigo Duterte.  

"In a general way, the ICC acts in accordance with the ICC Rome Statute and relevant applicable rules and follows the international standards of detained persons having access to consular representatives," ICC spokesperson Dr. Fadi El Abdallah said in a statement.

"Such visits, if any, are strictly conducted with the approval or at the request of the person in detention," he added.

Also on Wednesday, Vice President Sara Duterte expressed concern regarding a "welfare check” conducted by the Philippine Embassy to her father, Rodrigo.

Duterte said she received "disturbing information" that a report about her father was submitted to President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. by the embassy.

'Calculated' move

In a separate statement, Nicholas Kaufman, Duterte's lawyer for his crimes against humanity case with the ICC, said the visit of the Philippine Embassy was "calculated to obtain intelligence" regarding his medical condition. 

He said this visit was not coordinated with the defense camp.

For its part, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said the embassy's visit is in line with its functions under the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations and relevant Philippine laws to protect the welfare of all Filipinos. 

"This is a duty of all Philippine Foreign Service Posts and is no different from what the DFA does for other Filipino citizens who are in detention abroad," DFA spokesperson Angelica Escalona said.

The ICC Prosecutor has charged Duterte with murder and frustrated murder over 49 incidents related to his war on drugs when he was mayor of Davao City and as President of the Philippines.

His confirmation of charges hearing, initially scheduled on September 23, has been postponed.

Government records showed that around 6,200 drug suspects were killed while human rights organizations say that numbers reach up to 30,000 due to unreported related slays. — VDV, GMA Integrated News