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Rodrigo Duterte, former Philippines president, charged with crimes against humanity at ICC Rodrigo Duterte, former Philippines president, charged with crimes against humanity at ICC
(about 13 hours later)
Three charges against Duterte stem from his years-long campaign against drug users and dealers that rights groups say killed thousandsThree charges against Duterte stem from his years-long campaign against drug users and dealers that rights groups say killed thousands
Prosecutors at the international criminal court (ICC) have charged former Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte with three counts of crimes against humanity, alleging his involvement in at least 76 murders as part of his “war on drugs”. International criminal court prosecutors have charged the former president of the Philippines Rodrigo Duterte with three counts of crimes against humanity over bloody campaigns carried out during his “war on drugs”.
A heavily redacted charge sheet dated 4 July but made public on Monday laid out the accusations against the 80-year-old former leader, who is in ICC detention in The Hague. A charge sheet, dated 4 July but made public on Monday, laid out accusations against the 80-year-old former leader, who has been in ICC detention in The Hague since March.
The first count concerns his alleged involvement as a co-perpetrator in 19 murders carried out between 2013 and 2016 while Duterte was mayor of Davao City. The prosecutors accuse Duterte of designing and disseminating a policy to “neutralise” alleged criminals during his term as the mayor of Davao City, in the southern Philippines, and later during his term as president, alleging he inducted hitmen to a death squad and provided weapons, incentives and immunity for killings.
The second count relates to 14 murders of so-called “high value targets” in 2016 and 2017 when Duterte was president. The charge sheet refers specifically to 76 murders between 1 November 2011 and 16 March 2019, though prosecutors say: “The actual scale of victimisation during the charged period was significantly greater, as reflected in the widespread nature of the attack.”
And the third charge is about 43 murders committed during “clearance” operations of lower-level alleged drug users or dealers. They allege: “The attack included thousands of killings, which were perpetrated consistently throughout the charged period.”
These took place across the Philippines between 2016 and 2018, the prosecution alleged. Duterte said after his arrest that he would accept responsibility for the crackdowns. Last year, he told a senate inquiry into the killings that he offered “no apologies, no excuses” for his policies, saying: “I did what I had to do, and whether you believe it or not, I did it for my country.”
“The actual scale of victimisation during the charged period was significantly greater, as reflected in the widespread nature of the attack,” said the ICC prosecutors. The three counts of crimes against humanity relate to Duterte’s alleged involvement as a co-perpetrator in 19 murders carried out during his term as the mayor of Davao City, between 2013 and 2016, while the second count relates to 14 murders of “high value targets” in 2016 and 2017 when he was president. The third charge concerns 43 murders committed during “clearance” operations of lower-level alleged drug users or dealers, according to court documents, significant portions of which are redacted.
“The attack included thousands of killings, which were perpetrated consistently throughout the charged period,” they alleged. Prosecutors allege that Duterte first introduced a plan to “neutralise” criminals when he was the mayor of Davao City, later implementing the same policy at a national level after he was appointed president in 2016.
The charges against Duterte stem from his years-long campaign against drug users and dealers that rights groups said killed thousands. As the mayor, Duterte personally inducted hitmen into an infamous group known as the Davao death squad, and “christened” this group by spraying its members with a bottle of wine and distributing guns from a basket to each, it is alleged.
The arrest warrant issued for Duterte on 7 March contained one charge of crimes against humanity relating to 43 alleged murders. Individuals whom Duterte and co-perpetrators believed they could trust and control were recruited to the group, including some who owed a debt to Duterte or the police, said the prosecutors. “Those who did not follow orders risked being killed and were disposed of when perceived as opposing or posing a threat.”
The prosecutors’ charges came on the eve of what was scheduled to be Duterte’s appearance at the ICC to hear the accusations against him. However, that sitting was postponed as the court weighs whether Duterte is fit to hear the charges. Duterte’s approval was required for its members to conduct killings in Davao City, it is alleged, while he provided the Davao death squad with “the necessary logistical supplies to perpetrate killings, such as firearms, ammunition, vehicles, safe houses, gasoline and communications equipment”.
His lawyer Nicholas Kaufman has said his client is not able to stand trial “as a result of cognitive impairment in multiple domains”. After he became the president, Duterte appointed individuals from Davao City to high-level national positions to continue the policy nationwide and establish a network of perpetrators including state actors such as law enforcement officers, non-police assets and hitmen, the court documents say.
Kaufman has urged the ICC to postpone proceedings against Duterte indefinitely. The documents cite numerous statements by Duterte during his presidential campaign in which he pledged to “neutralise” criminals, including his remarks that the number of criminal suspects killed “will become 100,000”, and the fish in Manila Bay would “become fat, because that’s where I will throw you”.
Duterte was arrested in Manila on 11 March, flown to the Netherlands that same night and has been held at the ICC’s detention unit at Scheveningen prison since. As president, Duterte publicly offered financial incentives for killings, and promised to protect police officers from legal charges for killings.
At his initial hearing, he followed by video link, appearing dazed and frail, barely speaking. Duterte was due to appear at the ICC this week to hear the accusations against him. However, the sitting was postponed as the court is considering whether he is fit to do so. His lawyer, Nicholas Kaufman, has called for all legal proceedings to be adjourned indefinitely, saying Duterte is not fit to stand trial due to “cognitive impairment in multiple domains”.