HAGUE, Netherlands — Former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte has been formally charged with crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court (ICC) over his bloody “war on drugs,” which left thousands dead.
The 80-year-old, who ruled the Philippines from 2016 to 2022, is accused of being an “indirect co-perpetrator” in dozens of murders allegedly carried out by police and allied groups under his leadership.
The indictment, filed in July but made public on Monday, makes Duterte the first Asian former head of state to face charges before the ICC.
Deputy prosecutor Mame Mandiaye Niang said Duterte and his allies shared a plan to “neutralise” suspected criminals through violent means, including extrajudicial killings.
Rights groups have long accused Duterte of overseeing a campaign that bypassed due process, with victims often being small-time dealers or drug users.
The indictment lists three counts against him:
- First, his alleged role in the murders of 19 people in Davao City between 2013 and 2016, when he served as mayor.
- Second, the killings of 14 so-called “high-value targets” across the Philippines after he assumed the presidency in 2016.
- Third, the murder and attempted murder of 45 people in village “clearance operations.”
Duterte has never expressed remorse for the crackdown, insisting it was necessary to rid the country of street crime.
Police records cite over 6,000 deaths linked to anti-drug operations during his presidency, but human rights activists estimate the toll may be several times higher.
Duterte has been in ICC custody in The Hague since March, marking the first time in more than three years that the tribunal has flown in a suspect. His lawyer has claimed that he is unfit to stand trial due to poor health.
In a twist, despite his detention, Duterte was re-elected mayor of Davao in May, though his son Sebastian has continued as acting mayor.
His supporters accuse current President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. of weaponising the ICC process against the influential Duterte family, despite Marcos previously rejecting ICC cooperation.
The ICC, which has no independent enforcement arm, relies on member states to hand over suspects.
