ICJ charges former Philippine president with crimes against humanity

2025-09-23 07:56:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has been indicted for crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

The 80-year-old is accused of being criminally responsible for dozens of murders that allegedly took place as part of the so-called war on drugs, during which thousands of small-time drug dealers, users and others were killed without trial.

The ICC indictment dates back to July, but was only made public on Monday.

ICC Deputy Prosecutor Mame Mandiaye Niang said Duterte was an "indirect co-perpetrator" in the killings, which the court alleges were carried out by others, including the police.

The first charge filed against Duterte concerns his alleged involvement in the killing of 19 people in Davao City between 2013 and 2016, while he was mayor there.

The other two charges relate to the time he served as president of the Philippines, between 2016 and 2022, and launched the so-called war on drugs.

The second charge relates to the killing of 14 "high-value targets" across the country, while the third relates to the murder and attempted murder of 45 people in village cleansing operations.

Prosecutors referred to how Duterte and his alleged co-conspirators “shared a common plan or agreement to ‘neutralize’ suspected criminals in the Philippines (including those perceived or suspected of being involved in the use, sale, or production of drugs) through violent crimes, including murder.”

He has not apologized for his brutal crackdown on drugs, which left more than 6,000 people dead, although activists believe the true figure could be in the tens of thousands.

Duterte said he was cracking down on drug traffickers to rid the country of street crime. Rodrigo Duterte is the first former Asian head of state to be indicted by the ICC - and the first suspect to fly to The Hague in the Netherlands - where the court is based - in more than three years. He has been in custody there since March.

His lawyer has said that Duterte is unable to stand trial due to poor health.

In May, the former president was re-elected mayor of Davao City, despite being in prison. His son Sebastian (who had served as mayor since 2022) has continued as acting mayor in his father's place.

Duterte's supporters claimed that the International Criminal Court was being used as a political tool by the country's current president, Ferdinand Marcos, who had publicly feuded with the powerful Duterte family.

The International Criminal Court does not actually have the power to arrest people without the cooperation of the countries where they are located, which is often refused and Marcos had previously rejected the idea of ??cooperating with the International Criminal Court./ CNA, translated by BBC