ICC outlines crimes against humanity charges against Duterte
Prosecutors allege the former Philippine president ordered violent acts, including murder, during his years as Davao City mayor and as president, in a 15-page charge sheet.
The International Criminal Court has detailed charges accusing former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte of involvement in the killings of at least 76 people, spanning his years as mayor of Davao City and his presidency.
Prosecutors say 19 victims were killed while Duterte was mayor of Davao City between 2013 and roughly 2016; 14 were killed in targeted killings between 2016 and 2017 when he was president; and 43 people were killed during so-called clearance operations between 2016 and 2018.
The redacted charges were made public Monday after prosecutors submitted a 15-page charge sheet to the court on July 4. Among other things, they allege Duterte instructed and authorized violent acts including murder to be committed against alleged criminals, including alleged drug dealers and users.
Duterte, his lawyer and family did not immediately react to the detailed charges. Even when he was president, he denied authorizing extrajudicial killings, although he openly threatened drug suspects with death and encouraged police to open fire if suspects violently resisted arrest and threaten law enforcers.
Duterte was arrested in March by Philippine authorities on a warrant issued by the ICC. He is now being held at an ICC facility in the Netherlands.
Supporters of Duterte criticized the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Duterte's political rival, for arresting and surrendering the former leader to a court whose jurisdiction his supporters dispute. A court hearing had been scheduled to begin Tuesday but was postponed to give judges time to evaluate arguments from Duterte's attorneys that he is not fit to stand trial.
The charges reflect the ICC's ongoing effort to investigate alleged crimes under the court's remit in the Philippines—a country where the government has long questioned the court's reach and where local authorities maintain jurisdiction over criminal prosecutions.