ICC prosecutors charge Duterte with 3 counts of murder
Metro Manila, Philippines - The deputy prosecutors of the International Criminal Court (ICC) charged former President Rodrigo Duterte with three counts of murder in connection with crimes against humanity tied to his time as Davao City mayor and the chief executive of the country.
The 15-page "Document Containing the Charges" filed before the Pre-Trial Chamber 1 signed on Monday, Sept. 22, detailed how Duterte ordered, induced, and aided crimes under his administration's “war on drugs.”
The deputy prosecutors, led by Mame Mandiaye Niang, said Duterte had individual criminal responsibility for the following crimes:
1. The murder of 19 victims as a crime against humanity in Davao City during the mayoral period of 2013 to 2016
2. The murder of 14 "high-value targets" as a crime against humanity during his presidency between 2016 to 2017
3. The murder and attempted murder of 45 victims as crimes against humanity in barangay clearance operations in locations across the Philippines during the presidential period
Niang's filing said that between November 2011 and March 2019, Duterte, his co-perpetrators, and other members of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and high-ranking government officials shared a "common plan to neutralize" alleged criminals perceived to be associated with drug use, sale, or production through violent crimes including murder.
The filing stated that Duterte and redacted law enforcement officials, during his time as Davao City mayor, used local police and non-police hitmen (together called the DDS) to kill alleged criminals.
Further, when Duterte won the 2016 presidential race via landslide, he and his co-perperators agreed to expand the so-called "common plan" across the country.
The confirmation of charges hearing, initially set for Sept. 23, has been postponed for a yet to be determined date as judges assess Duterte’s health before deciding if the case will proceed to a full trial.
Duterte was surrendered by the Marcos administration to ICC custody at The Hague in the Netherlands in March 2025.
Based on government data, the Duterte administration's drug war death toll surpassed 6,000. Rights groups, however, said fatalities reached 30,000.
NewsWatch Plus lead news correspondent Tristan Nodalo contributed to this report.
