ICC opens Duterte ‘war on drugs’ case with claims he authorized murders, hand-picked victims
THE HAGUE — The International Criminal Court began week-long confirmation of charges hearings against former Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte on Monday, with prosecutors alleging he personally authorized murders and selected some targets in his anti-narcotics campaign.
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Deputy prosecutor Mame Mandiaye Niang told judges the proceedings were “a reminder that those in power are not above the law,” as the court weighs whether to move the Duterte case to a full trial on crimes against humanity charges tied to the Philippines’ “war on drugs.”
Duterte, 80, did not appear in court after judges granted a defense request for his absence, despite an earlier ruling that he was fit to take part. Following the hearings, the panel will have 60 days to issue a written decision on whether the case proceeds to trial.
Niang said Duterte “authorized murders and personally selected some of the victims.” Prosecutors have charged the former leader with three counts of crimes against humanity, alleging his involvement in at least 76 murders between 2013 and 2018. He added those figures were “merely a fraction” of the true death toll.
Duterte’s defense rejected the accusations as “grievously misplaced and politically motivated.” His lawyer, Nicholas Kaufman, said the former president “stands behind his legacy resolutely. He maintains his innocence absolutely,” describing him as “a unique phenomenon” whose public remarks were often marked by “hyperbole, bluster and rhetoric.” Kaufman argued prosecutors had “cherry-picked” Duterte’s speeches and ignored passages stressing the importance of the rule of law.
Outside the ICC, rival groups of demonstrators gathered from early morning. “It is a historic moment,” said Patricia Enriquez, 36, a researcher who called the hearing emotional, hopeful and painful for victims of Duterte’s alleged crimes. “I’m hoping that all the Filipinos and everybody in the world will stand with us, stand with truth, stand with justice and stand with accountability.”
Others bristled at seeing a former Philippine leader in an international dock. “It’s a slap in the face,” said Aldo Villarta, a 35-year-old chef, who argued that trying Duterte abroad and holding him in custody infringed his human rights. “We’ve already suffered so long from colonisation.”
The charges span Duterte’s time as mayor and president. Prosecutors say he was a co-perpetrator in 19 murders in Davao City between 2013 and 2016, then oversaw 14 killings of so-called “High Value Targets” in 2016 and 2017 after taking office nationally. A third count covers 43 murders during “clearance” operations against alleged low-level drug users and pushers across the Philippines from 2016 to 2018.
While prosecutors anchor their case to specific killings, lawyers for victims say a full trial could encourage more families to come forward with evidence from the broader campaign, which rights groups have long claimed numbered in the thousands of deaths.
Duterte served as president from 2016 to 2022. He was arrested in Manila in March last year, flown to the Netherlands and has since been held at the ICC’s detention unit at Scheveningen Prison, according to the court. He appeared by video link for his initial hearing three days after his arrest, looking dazed and frail and speaking only briefly.
In Manila on Monday, about 60 relatives of people killed in the crackdown gathered at a Catholic Church-run community center to watch the court proceedings on television monitors. Many said they were disappointed Duterte had not been required to appear in person. “Maybe he does not want to own up to his sins,” said Gloria Sarmiento, whose boyfriend and his brother were killed in the final weeks of Duterte’s presidency. “Maybe he is a coward.”
The confirmation of charges hearing will continue throughout the week, with judges examining prosecution evidence and the defense’s rebuttals. If the court concludes there are substantial grounds to believe Duterte committed the alleged offenses, it will set the stage for a historic trial centered on the Philippines’ bloody drug war.
By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
