ICC confirms murder charges against ex-Philippine president Duterte: What you need to know

BBC:

The International Criminal Court has unanimously confirmed all charges of crimes against humanity against former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte.

The decision means there is sufficient evidence to establish “substantial grounds to believe” that Duterte committed the alleged crimes, officially committing the case to trial.

The charges include three counts of crimes against humanity in the forms of murder, torture, and rape during Duterte’s bloody “war on drugs”.

The campaign, which Duterte waged as a city mayor and then throughout his six-year presidency, saw the extrajudicial killings of tens of thousands of alleged dealers, users and others, human rights groups say. ICC prosecutors previously alleged he was involved in at least 76 murders, and charged him with three counts of crimes against humanity.

Those crimes were allegedly committed between 1 November 2011 and 16 March 2019, covering Duterte’s time as both the mayor of Davao City and the president of the Philippines.

Duterte, 80, drew international condemnation over the campaign, but was unfazed, at one point saying he’d be “happy to slaughter” millions of “drug addicts” who he said were destroying the country.

“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 told an ICC court in February, calling for Duterte to be held to account. The proceedings were “a reminder that those in power are not above the law”, he said.

Duterte has previously waived his right to be present in the courtroom, saying he did not recognise the ICC’s authority. He maintained his innocence, his lawyer said at the time.