The International Criminal Court has charged former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte with three counts of murder for the killings of alleged suspects during his war on drugs campaign, including one instance when he was mayor of the southern city of Davao before being elected president of the country. This was reported by Spotligh, writes UNN.
Details
According to a document released by the ICC on Monday, Duterte, who is in custody at the court's headquarters in the Netherlands, is criminally responsible for orchestrating the killings of drug-related crime suspects as an "indirect co-perpetrator."
The first charge concerns the organization of the murders of 19 people when he was mayor of Davao between 2013 and 2016.
The second charge covers the killings of 14 "high-value targets" in various locations across the Philippines in 2016–2017. His war on drugs became nationwide after his election as president in 2016, accompanied by the bodies of dead Filipinos on the streets of Manila with signs indicating they were alleged drug addicts.
The third charge concerns murders and attempted murders during "barangay (district) clearing operations" across the Philippines, which resulted in 45 victims from 2016 to 2018.
A hearing to confirm the charges against Duterte was scheduled for Tuesday, but the ICC postponed it to verify whether the 80-year-old former president is fit to stand trial due to his health condition.
A new date has not yet been set.
Addition
Duterte was arrested by Interpol and the Philippine National Police in a joint operation on March 11. The former leader was immediately taken to the ICC headquarters in the Netherlands, marking the beginning of a long process of justice for thousands of families who lost husbands, wives, and children due to his brutal war on drugs.
Human rights organizations estimate that more than 30,000 Filipinos were killed as a result of the Duterte government's brutal campaign, although the government acknowledged only 6,000 killings.