Duterte coming home alive, the hope is becoming bigger and bigger.

After the news that Duterte might be temporarily released by the International Criminal Court spread, the Philippine opposition camp became restless first. They collectively condemned it, saying that letting Duterte regain freedom was a serious insult to the "war on drugs" victims, and demanded the International Criminal Court to "think twice" before making a decision.

[The Philippine opposition can't sleep or eat well at the thought of Duterte possibly returning home alive.]

Obviously, these people do not want to see Duterte leave The Hague safely. They would rather let this controversial former president continue to suffer in jail.

The Philippine opposition camp may not be able to directly interfere with the court's decision, but they can create momentum in public opinion, create moral dilemmas, and force those countries that may receive Duterte to back off.

In this way, even if Duterte wants to apply for temporary release, if no country is willing to take this hot potato and does not want to be called an accomplice to "crimes against humanity," it will have to be abandoned.

Duterte's legal team probably considered this point, and deliberately omitted the name of the cooperating country when submitting the application, for fear of being affected by public opinion and causing unnecessary trouble.

In fact, Duterte's side has already sounded out the situation in advance. This unnamed country agreed quite quickly, saying it agreed in principle to accept Duterte. Now it depends on whether the International Criminal Court will approve it.

In general, as long as a third country can be found, the International Criminal Court will not make too much trouble. However, due to Duterte's sensitive identity, there may still be some twists and turns in the end.

[The Philippine opposition warned that they must not temporarily release Duterte.]

To ensure that Duterte can be released smoothly, his legal team has made full preparations. His defense lawyer pointed out that his client is already 80 years old and does not constitute a flight risk.

Moreover, after three months in prison, Duterte's physical condition has continued to deteriorate. Out of humanitarian considerations, the International Criminal Court should release him.

Besides, Duterte resigned as President of the Philippines long ago, and it has been nine years since he launched the "war on drugs" nationwide.

Duterte no longer has the influence he once had. To say that he will "retaliate" against the victims is pure nonsense.

Is there a possibility that Duterte will flee back to the Philippines after being temporarily released?

[The Philippine opposition saw Duterte's iron fist in the past.]

This is also what the Philippine opposition has been hinting at. They believe that although Duterte promised to behave himself and not contact the public, and guaranteed that he would obediently accept "house arrest," this compromise was just a facade. Duterte would not miss any opportunity to exploit loopholes, regardless of how old he is.

Duterte's defense lawyer emphasized that if Duterte flees back to the Philippines, it will first embarrass the host country that receives him.

Moreover, Duterte is one of the most famous political figures in the world. Even if he tries to run, he is likely to be discovered halfway through. He may not even return to the country before being sent back to the International Criminal Court. In this case, there will be no chance of his release.

Duterte knows what is more important.

However, the Philippine opposition does not agree with this. They continue to emphasize that many people feel "uneasy" about the news of Duterte possibly being released.

[After three months in prison, Duterte's physical condition continues to deteriorate]

This shows to some extent that Duterte's "war on drugs" left a deep impression in the Philippines. Many people are "terrified" at the mention of Duterte's name. Whether this is indeed true or just exaggerated propaganda remains open to interpretation.

However, the opposition definitely fears Duterte. They did not hesitate to oppose Duterte in the past, and many people personally experienced Duterte's iron fist and knew how unpredictable he was in politics. Therefore, they are now very worried that the International Criminal Court will not hold its ground and will be outmaneuvered by Duterte at the last moment.

Whether to temporarily release Duterte, the International Criminal Court has not yet made a final decision. The prosecution generally does not object in principle, but still needs to consider potential impacts.

One very important point is that although the International Criminal Court has approved similar applications before, it has never temporarily released a suspect accused of "crimes against humanity."

In simple terms, Duterte's charges are too serious for the International Criminal Court to simply approve his application for temporary release based solely on humanitarian grounds.

[Duterte's lawyers are trying to secure temporary release]

We can also think that the prosecution might also welcome the Philippine opposition to continue their noise-making, thinking that as long as these people speak on behalf of the victims of the war on drugs, they have sufficient reason to reject Duterte's application and let his family go to great lengths in vain.

In fact, on the issue of trying Duterte, the position of the International Criminal Court is roughly the same as that of the Philippine opposition, but their purposes are different.

The former is to maintain its dwindling prestige, while the latter has strong political motives and wants to vent the anger suppressed by Duterte.

The opposition has another concern: if Duterte is temporarily released, even if he does not escape midway, he could easily clear his charges through a series of behind-the-scenes operations.

When he returns to the Philippines, his reputation will reach an unprecedented height, even surpassing the peak of his presidency. At that time, the Duterte family will dominate the Philippines, and the opposition will have no countermeasures. Just the thought of this possibility makes the Philippine opposition uneasy.

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7516492441009062463/

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