United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo meets with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte at the Villamor Air Base in Pasay, Philippines, on February 28, 2019.
Wikimedia Commons (public domain)
An ICC charge sheet outlines allegations involving at least 76 killings linked to Duterte’s “war on drugs,” while he served as mayor and president.
International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutors have charged former Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte with three counts of crimes against humanity, accusing him of involvement in at least 76 killings during his “war on drugs.”
A heavily redacted charge sheet dated July 4th, but only released to the public on Monday, September 22nd details the allegations against the 80-year-old former leader, who is currently held in ICC detention in The Hague.
The first count involves Duterte’s alleged role as a co-perpetrator in 19 murders carried out between 2013 and 2016, while he served as mayor of Davao City. The second count concerns 14 murders of so-called “High Value Targets” in 2016 and 2017 during his presidency. The third charge relates to 43 murders committed during “clearance” operations targeting lower-level alleged drug users or pushers.
The prosecution alleged that these killings occurred across the Philippines between 2016 and 2018.
The charges against Duterte stem from his years-long campaign against drug users and dealers that rights groups said killed thousands.
Nicholas Kaufman, Duterte’s lawyer, said that his client cannot stand trial “as a result of cognitive impairment in multiple domains.”
Kaufman has called on the ICC to postpone proceedings against Duterte indefinitely. At his initial hearing, conducted via video link, he appeared dazed and frail, speaking only minimally.
