Former President Rodrigo Duterte faces charges of being an ‘indirect co-perpetrator’ in the killings of numerous purported criminal figures.
These charges, detailed in a document released by the ICC on Monday, hold Duterte accountable for the disturbing actions during his presidency, which oversaw the deaths of thousands of alleged drug dealers and users.
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These allegations relate to Duterte’s anti-drug efforts, both as mayor of Davao City and as president, spanning from 2013 to 2018. He is accused of being complicit in numerous homicidal activities during this period.
The ICC charge document, dated early July and signed by the deputy prosecutor, Mame Mandiaye Niang, outlines Duterte’s alleged direct responsibility in the deaths of many people.
The first charge is tied to his tenure as the mayor of Davao City, where he is suspected of being a co-perpetrator in 19 murders from 2013 to 2016.
The following two charges pertain to his presidency. The second involves the killings of 14 “high-value” targets in 2016 and 2017, while the third encompasses 43 murders during “clearance” operations against lower-profile suspects from 2016 to 2018.
According to the ICC document, these 76 murders were executed by both police officers and non-state actors, including hired killers.
These legal actions come after a court deferred Duterte’s appearance at the ICC to address the charges against him, considering his fitness to stand trial due to health concerns raised by his lawyer, Nicholas Kaufman, who suggested that Duterte has cognitive impairments.
Following his arrest in the Philippines on March 11 and subsequent transfer to the Netherlands, Duterte has claimed his detention was unjust and argued for an indefinite trial delay due to his health. His supporters in the Philippines view his detention as political, stemming from a disagreement with the present Philippine President, Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
