ICC sets livestream in Filipino

MANILA, Philippines — Filipinos will be able to watch in Tagalog and possibly other local languages the broadcast of the crimes against humanity trial of former president Rodrigo Duterte at the International Criminal Court (ICC).

During the case’s first status conference last week, ICC Trial Chamber III Presiding Judge Joanna Korner directed the court’s registry to make the necessary arrangements for interpretation for the opening of the trial on Nov. 30.

“I think it’s important that opening statements can be understood by those in the Philippines,” she said.

At the beginning of the status conference, senior trial lawyer Julian Nicholls pushed for the immediate hiring of interpreters to ensure that the trial could be broadcast in Tagalog and other local languages in the Philippines.

While many Filipinos speak and understand English, he told the judges that many of those in the communities where the victims are from “do not have a good command” of the language.

“There’s a lot of interest in this case in the Philippines and having it not broadcast – I know that’s not the main point and we don’t always do that – but it would be much better for the population and the victims and people interested in this case if it could be broadcast in Tagalog or the other languages,” he said.

The ICC Registry, which is in charge of the non-judicial administrative aspects of the court, initially recommended for trial to start in January to give them time to hire and train interpreters.

Korner noted that court proceedings in the Philippines are generally held in English, which she said could make it easy for the registry to find and train interpreters for Duterte’s trial.

She later ruled that trial would start on Nov. 30, subject to a finding that the former president is fit to stand trial.