Former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte has been charged with crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
The 80-year-old is accused of being criminally responsible for dozens of murders that allegedly took place as part of his so-called war on drugs, during which thousands of small-time drug dealers, users, and others were killed without trial.
The ICC's charge sheet, which includes several redactions, dates from July but was only made public on Monday.
ICC deputy prosecutor Mame Mandiaye Niang stated that Duterte was an indirect co-perpetrator in the killings, which the court alleges were carried out by others, including police.
The first count laid against Mr. Duterte concerns his alleged involvement in the killings of 19 people in Davao City between 2013 and 2016 while he was mayor there.
The other two charges relate to times when he served as president of the Philippines, between 2016 and 2022, when he launched his so-called war on drugs. The second count relates to the murders of 14 high-value targets across the country, while the third relates to the murder and attempted murder of 45 people during village clearance operations.
Prosecutors referred to how Mr. Duterte and his alleged co-perpetrators shared a common plan or agreement to 'neutralise' alleged criminals in the Philippines (including those perceived or alleged to be associated with drug use, sale, or production) through violent crimes including murder.
Mr. Duterte has offered no apologies for his brutal anti-drugs crackdown, which resulted in more than 6,000 people killed; however, activists believe the figure could range into the tens of thousands.
He has claimed that he cracked down on drug dealers to rid the country of street crimes.
Rodrigo Duterte is the first Asian former head of state to be indicted by the ICC, and he has been in custody in The Hague since March. His lawyer has stated that Mr. Duterte is not able to stand trial due to poor health. Despite being in prison, he was re-elected as mayor of Davao, and his son has continued to serve as acting mayor.
Supporters of Mr. Duterte have alleged that the ICC is being used as a political tool by the current president Ferdinand Marcos, who had publicly fallen out with the Duterte family.
The ICC effectively has no power to arrest individuals without the cooperation of the countries they are in, a cooperation that has often been denied, particularly as Marcos had previously dismissed the idea of cooperation with the ICC.
