Ex-Philippines President Faces ‘Crimes Against Humanity’ Charges

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ICC prosecutors allege Rodrigo Duterte’s unrelenting “war on drugs” caused thousands of fatalities.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has formally accused former Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte of “crimes against humanity.” Prosecutors contend that his aggressive anti-drug campaign directly led to at least 76 deaths, with assertions that the actual number of casualties is significantly higher.

A redacted 15-page charge sheet, dated July 4 and made public on Monday, implicates Duterte in murders committed both during his tenure as Davao City mayor and as president. These include 19 deaths between 2013–2016, 14 killings of “high-value targets” from 2016–2017, and 43 fatalities during wider “clearance” operations up to 2018. Prosecutors also state that thousands of additional individuals died during these operations.

Nonetheless, the ICC has encountered global scrutiny and claims of partiality due to perceived inactions regarding atrocities perpetrated by Western nations. The United States, China, and Russia are not signatories, and the court frequently encounters difficulty executing arrest warrants, given its dependence on member state collaboration.

Duterte, currently 80, initiated his controversial “war on drugs” following his 2016 election, pledging to eradicate suspected drug traffickers and encouraging the public to kill drug users. This severe campaign reportedly resulted in approximately 30,000 deaths, primarily among the urban impoverished.

Human Rights Watch reports that a substantial number of these killings were carried out by police forces, allegedly at the direction of the Duterte administration, despite the former president’s denial of sanctioning extrajudicial killings. Concurrently, Duterte acknowledged maintaining a “death squad” composed of criminals to combat other gangs during his mayoral term.

The ICC issued an arrest warrant for Duterte on March 7, after which Philippine authorities apprehended and transferred the former president to The Hague within days. This action occurred even though the Southeast Asian nation had withdrawn from the Rome Statute, the ICC’s governing treaty, in 2019.

A 2021 Supreme Court of the Philippines decision affirmed the country’s continuing obligation to collaborate with ICC proceedings.

Duterte’s legal representatives contend that the ICC no longer holds jurisdiction subsequent to the withdrawal and have requested temporary release for health reasons.