The Hague – Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is set to stand trial at the International Criminal Court (ICC) after judges confirmed charges of crimes against humanity linked to deadly anti-drug operations carried out during his time in power and earlier as a city mayor.
On Thursday, a three-judge panel ruled that there are “substantial grounds” to believe Duterte is responsible for dozens of murders committed during crackdowns he allegedly ordered while serving as mayor of Davao City and later as president of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022.
According to the ICC’s 50-page decision, evidence suggests Duterte “developed, disseminated and implemented” a policy aimed at “neutralizing” suspected criminals.
Prosecutors allege that police officers and hired hitmen carried out killings beginning in 2011, motivated either by financial reward or fear of becoming targets themselves. Deputy prosecutor Mame Mandiaye Niang told the court earlier this year that, in some cases, “killing reached the level of a perverse form of competition.”
Estimates of the death toll from Duterte’s anti-drug campaign vary widely, ranging from more than 6,000 reported by Philippine police to as many as 30,000 according to human rights organizations.
Duterte, who was arrested in the Philippines last year and transferred to The Hague, has denied all charges. His lawyer, Nick Kaufman, criticized the ruling, arguing it relied on “uncorroborated statements of vicious self-confessed murderers acting as cooperating witnesses.”
The former leader has not attended court proceedings in person after waiving his right to appear. Judges previously ruled he is fit to stand trial.
For many families of victims in the Philippines, the decision was welcomed as a long-awaited step toward justice. Randy delos Santos, whose nephew Kian delos Santos was killed by police in 2017, said the ruling ensures victims’ stories will finally be heard.
“Unlike Kian, most other victims were nameless, voiceless and were just numbers and statistics,” he said. “Now the ICC will give their stories a chance to be told.”
Human rights organizations also praised the decision. Maria Elena Vignoli of Human Rights Watch said the case sends a strong message that “no one responsible for grave crimes is above the law.”
The ICC began investigating Duterte’s anti-drug campaign in 2018, but the Philippines withdrew from the court a month later in what critics described as an attempt to avoid accountability. However, judges have ruled that the ICC retains jurisdiction over crimes committed while the country was still a member.
A trial date has not yet been set.
