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March 19, 2025 | 01:50 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The lawyer of former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is planning to seek asylum from the government of the Netherlands. The asylum request is made by Harry Roque, one of Duterte's five lawyers in a live press conference on Facebook on Monday, March 17, 2025.
The lawyer is confident that he can prove political persecution through unfair prosecution as quoted from Al Arabiya. He referred to an arrest warrant issued by the congressional committee.
Roque has been speaking on behalf of Duterte's family since the sudden arrest of the 79-year-old man. Harry Roque served twice as Duterte's presidential spokesperson. He left the Philippines in September after facing contempt sanctions for refusing to attend a hearing on offshore gambling sites used as a front for criminal activities.
He reappeared last week to defend Duterte after the former president was flown to the International Criminal Court (ICC) to face charges of crimes against humanity. These crimes were allegedly committed by Duterte in the war on drugs resulted in the deaths of thousands of people.
Roque is one of five Filipino lawyers. He is on the list of ICC legal advisors who can represent defendants in the court. He hopes to be part of the defense team for the former president.
Because of defending Duterte, he cannot return to the Philippines. He refused to answer whether he would return after his case was resolved.
Presidential palace spokesperson Claire Castro said on Tuesday that Roque's asylum application will not impact the case he is facing. Castro questioned how there be political persecution if all the evidence was strong. She referred to documents allegedly linking him to the now-prohibited gambling sites.
Roque's statement follows Vice President Sara Duterte's announcement that Nicholas Kaufman, a veteran international lawyer, has joined her father's legal team. Kaufman has previously represented clients in The Hague including former Congolese rebel leader Jean-Pierre Bemba and Aisha Qaddafi, the late dictator of Libya's daughter.
Although Duterte's camp referred to him as a lead legal advisor, Kaufman said his role has not yet been definitively determined.
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