ISTANBUL

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has revealed details of the indictment against former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, accusing him of crimes against humanity linked to killings during his presidency and earlier tenure as mayor of Davao City.

According to the indictment, Duterte is charged with three separate sets of killings between 2011 and 2019. Prosecutors claim that he was directly or indirectly involved in 49 incidents that resulted in the deaths of at least 76 people.

He faces charges of murder and attempted murder.

The ICC Office of the Prosecutor claims that Duterte “instructed and authorized violent acts, including murder, against alleged criminals such as drug dealers and users.”

The first charge relates to the killing of 19 people between 2013 and 2016 while Duterte was mayor of Davao. The second covers the deaths of 14 “high-profile targets” during his presidency from 2016 to 2017.

The third centers on 43 killings and two attempted killings during police operations known as “Barangay” campaigns between 2016 and 2018.

The ICC opened an investigation in September 2021 into alleged crimes against humanity committed under Duterte’s “war on drugs.”

The probe was briefly suspended after Manila argued the court lacked jurisdiction, citing its own inquiries.

The Philippines withdrew from the Rome Statute, the court’s founding treaty, on March 17, 2018, shortly after the ICC’s preliminary examination began.

However, the ICC ruled in July 2023 that its jurisdiction still applied to alleged crimes committed while the country was a member.

Philippine authorities arrested Duterte, 80, in March under an ICC warrant and transferred him to The Hague, where he remains in custody. His trial, scheduled to open today, was postponed after judges granted his lawyers more time to present arguments that their client is unfit to stand trial.