bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

sponsorType

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Reuters

Former Philippine president Rodrigo ⁠Duterte was “pivotal” in the ⁠murder of thousands of people during his ⁠reign, prosecutors at the International Criminal Court (ICC) said on Monday, as they pushed for his trial to go ahead.
The prosecutors at the Hague-based war crimes court have charged Duterte with three counts of murder as a crime against humanity, involving dozens of ‌victims that accusers say were only a fraction of the real death toll in his clampdown on alleged drug users and criminals.
“Duterte’s so-called war on drugs resulted in the killings of thousands of civilians and many of these victims were children,” prosecutor Mame Niang said at the opening of pre-trial hearings meant to confirm charges.
“Mr Duterte must be held to account and ⁠this case should be confirmed for trial,” he said.


Under the ICC rules, judges will have to confirm ‌charges before the case can move to trial. Duterte served as president of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022 and was arrested and taken to The Hague ‌last March.
According to the prosecutors, Duterte created, funded and armed death squads to target ⁠and kill alleged ⁠narcotics peddlers and users.
Duterte has long insisted he instructed police to kill only in self-defence and has always defended the crackdown. “Mr ‌Duterte played a pivotal role in the committing of the charged crimes. His contribution was essential, as he was at the very heart ‌of ‌the plan to neutralise alleged criminals including through murder,” Niang said.
Opponents of Duterte gathered outside ‌the court building, chanting “Hold Duterte accountable!” in Tagalog.

“I hope, and I am quite confident, that the ⁠charges of murder and attempted murder will be confirmed” and Duterte’s guilt ultimately proven, Cristina Palabay, a worker ⁠at the human rights alliance Karapatan, told Reuters outside court. Duterte, 80, will not be present at the hearings, as his defence said he would not be able to understand ‌proceedings due to his cognitive ‌decline.
“For us, it’s cowardice,” said Sheerah Escudero, whose brother was killed during the war on drugs. “We know that Duterte will not be able to escape accountability.”
After the hearings conclude on Friday, judges will take up to 60 days to decide if there is sufficient evidence to move the case to a trial.


How Rodrigo Duterte’s deadly anti-drug campaign in the Philippines led to his downfall

Duterte was ‘pivotal’ in murder of thousands, ICC prosecutors say

Art as advocacy: Philippine mural contest adds to South China Sea messaging push

How sincere is Labour’s narrative of compassion on the BN(O) pathway?

The Philippines

People protest in favour of the detention of former Philippines’ president Rodrigo Duterte outside the International Criminal Court where he will be questioned on charges of crimes against humanity, in The Hague on Monday. Photo: AFP

Former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte at a proclamation rally for his political party in Metro Manila in the Philippines in February 2025. Photo: Reuters

ICC naming of Duterte’s allies sharpens Philippines’ political fault lines

Philippines’ Rodrigo Duterte (left) listening to Ronald Dela Rosa, then director general of the Philippine National Police, during a press conference at the Malacanang palace in Manila in 2017. Photo: AFP

Protesters hold pictures of former president Rodrigo Duterte as they call for justice for the victims of the war on drugs during his administration in Quezon City, the Philippines, in March 2025. Photo: AP

Senator Christopher “Bong” Go (centre), an ally of former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte, at Ninoy Aquino International Airport in March 2025. Photo: AFP

Images of victims of alleged extrajudicial killings during Rodrigo Duterte’s presidency are laid out during a rally in Quezon City, the Philippines, in November 2024. Photo: EPA-EFE

US missile deployments in Philippines signal deeper strategic shift in region

A US M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, or HIMARS, fires during the Balikatan joint military exercises at a naval station in Zambales province, northern Philippines, on April 26, 2023. Photo: AP

Philippine Ambassador to Washington Jose Manuel Romualdez answers questions from reporters in Manila on February 10. Photo: AP

A US Marine Air Defense Integrated System, or MADIS, fires at a drone during a live-fire Philippines–US joint military exercise at a Philippine Navy training camp in San Antonio, Zambales province, on April 27, 2025. Photo: AP

Views of corruption in Philippines worsen as ‘grease money’ dents confidence

Protesters wearing face masks depicting Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr and Vice President Sara Duterte take part in an anti-corruption rally in Manila in November. Photo: AFP

People wade through floodwaters caused by Tropical Storm Penha in Iligan, Lanao del Norte, earlier this month. The flood-control corruption scandal in the Philippines has hit business confidence. Photo: AFP

Supporters of ex-Philippine senator Ramon ‘Bong’ Revilla Jnr gather outside the anti-corruption court in Quezon City, Metro Manila, last month. Revilla and six others are facing corruption charges. Photo: EPA

Buildings under construction in Manila. The Philippine economy has slowed due in part to the flood-control corruption scandal. Photo: AFP

Families of Philippine drug war victims seek ICC justice as Duterte trial looms

Catholic priest Flavie Villanueva (right) joins hands with relatives of those killed in former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte’s drug war during inurnment rites on Friday. Photo:  AFP

Former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte delivers a speech ahead of the midterm elections on February 13, 2025. Photo: Reuters 

A customer places an order at Silingan Coffee, staffed by family members of those killed in the drug war, on Monday. Photo: AFP

Residents react near a crime scene where three alleged drug dealers were killed after a raid in a shanty community in Manila on September 28, 2016. Photo: AFP

News

Asia

Southeast Asia

He has long insisted he instructed police to kill only in self-defence and has always defended the drug crackdown


He has long insisted he instructed police to kill only in self-defence and has always defended the drug crackdown.


Duterte was ‘pivotal’ in murder of thousands, ICC prosecutors say

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}He has long insisted he instructed police to kill only in self-defence and has always defended the drug crackdown

He has long insisted he instructed police to kill only in self-defence and has always defended the drug crackdown