April 24 (UPI) — A three-judge panel of the International Criminal Court has ruled there is enough evidence to send former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte to trial on crimes against humanity charges over his brutal drug crackdown.
Pre-Trial Chamber I issued its ruling Thursday, stating the panel unanimously confirmed all three counts of crimes against humanity brought against Duterte by the prosecution, and committed him to be tried.
“Pre-Trial Chamber I concluded that there are substantial grounds to believe that Mr. Duterte is responsible for the crimes against humanity of murder and attempted murder,” the ICC said in a statement.
The ruling follows confirmation of charges hearings from Feb. 23 to 27 when both the defense and prosecution presented evidence and arguments.
The judges of the pre-trial chamber were not tasked with determining a verdict, only to weighing the evidence to see if the charges are supported.
In the ruling, the judges stated they found “substantial grounds to believe that Mr. Duterte committed the crimes with which he is charged.”
The prosecution alleges that Duterte, 81, committed three counts of crimes against humanity, including murder and attempted murder, between at least Nov. 1, 2011, and March 16, 2019, during his war on drugs campaign.
The charges cover the last few years of his tenure as mayor of Davao City and the first years of his presidency. He finished his six-year term as president on June 30, 2022.
Nicknamed “The Punisher” and “Duterte Harry,” Duterte was widely and publicly known for his violent tactics targeting drug dealers and users, which made him a polarizing figure in Philippine politics.
He is accused of mobilizing police and paid hitmen during his time as mayor of Davao City to carry out targeted killings — a campaign that allegedly expanded nationwide and involvled federal law enforcement once he became president.
Human rights group Amnesty International says his campaign as mayor killed at least 1,400 people and as many as 30,000 by the time his presidency was over.
The ICC’s pre-trial chamber examined the 76 murders and two attempted murders he is charged with under the three counts of crimes against humanity.
The judges ruled Thursday that the policy was originally developed by Duterte and his close associates in Davao City and implemented at the local level and then expanded nationally in 2016.
“The attack was widespread. It was carried out on a large scale and frequent basis, victimizing a significant number of civilians over a broad geographic area and a prolonged period of time,” the judges said.
“The attack was also systematic in that it was planned, organized and executed in a coordinated fashion, with acts perpetrated in a clear pattern of violence directed at the targeted population.”
The ICC Presidency will next be tasked with constituting a Trial Chamber to conduct the next phase of the proceedings.
The Hague opened its investigation of Duterte in September 2021, with an arrest warrant issued for his arrest in March 2025.
Philippine authorities arrested Duterte on the morning of March 10 after he arrived in Manila from Hong Kong.
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