ICC names presiding judge in Duterte’s appeal vs. jurisdiction ruling

The International Criminal Court (ICC) Appeals Chamber has tasked Judge Luz del Ibañez Carranza with presiding over the appeal filed by the camp of former President Rodrigo Duterte on a ruling that affirmed the tribunal’s jurisdiction over him.

In a document dated October 29, the five-member chamber appointed Ibáñez Carranza.

It was signed by Judge Erdenebalsuren Damdin, president of the Appeals Division.

This stemmed from the decision of the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber 1 to reject the challenge to its jurisdiction by the defense counsel of Duterte. It also denied the defense's request to postpone the issuance of its decision on the challenge to its jurisdiction.

According to the ICC website, Ibáñez Carranza served as a senior national prosecutor in Peru's specialized system for the prosecution of crimes such as terrorism, grave violations of human rights, and crimes against humanity.

She also acted as the coordinator of the 17 prosecutorial agencies in the specialized system.

Meanwhile, the ICC said she was appointed several times as a Peruvian delegate before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, the Inter-American Committee against Terrorism, and other bodies.

She was also part of the chambers that handled the cases of Ugandan resistance commander Dominic Ongwen and Congolese rebel leader Bosco Ntaganda, both of whom were found guilty of crimes against humanity before the ICC.

Ibáñez Carranza has been serving as an ICC judge since 2018. Her term will expire in 2027.

The ICC Prosecutor has charged Duterte with 49 incidents of murder and attempted murder during his time as mayor of Davao City and as president of the Philippines, "although the actual scale of victimization during the charged period was significantly greater."

He is currently detained at the Hague Penitentiary Institution. — with Jiselle Anne Casucian/VBL, GMA Integrated News