ICC has confirmed the charges against former Philippine President Duterte and sent the case to trial. He is suspected of crimes against humanity

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has confirmed the murder charges against former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte and referred his case to trial. His case is being considered a crime against humanity.

Reuters reports this.

Judges said there was a strong case to believe that Duterte, 81, played a key role in the killing of 76 people and the attempted assassination of two others as part of the “war on drugs”. Separately, prosecutors say the “war on drugs” has led to the deaths of thousands of civilians.

During pre-trial hearings, the suspectʼs lawyers argued that Duterteʼs public statements about the need to kill criminals were just rhetoric aimed at intimidating people.

The day before, the appeals chamber of the court rejected the motion to dismiss the case. Now ICC trial chamber will begin preparations for the hearings.

What is known about the case of former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte?

Duterte took office in 2016 and immediately declared that his goal was to fight drugs. On his first day in office, he authorized police raids. During that time (from July to December 2016), more than 5 000 people were killed, according to Al Jazeera. In total, the former president’s anti-drug campaign has led to thousands of deaths by the time his term ends on June 30, 2022.

Duterte was arrested at Manila International Airport in March 2025 after arriving from Hong Kong on suspicion of crimes against humanity. The ICC then began investigating the killings of drug suspects by Philippine police during Duterteʼs tenure. He was formally charged in September 2022.

The ICC Deputy Prosecutor Mame Mandiaye Niang then alleged that Duterte was an “indirect co-perpetrator” of the killings, which the court said were carried out by others, including police. Prosecutors also said that Duterte and his alleged accomplices “had a common plan or agreement to neutralize alleged criminals in the Philippines through violent crimes, including murder”.

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