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| Duterte at his first appearance at ICC in The Hague |
Former Philippine President Rodrigo R. Duterte has been charged with crimes against humanity for the dozens of murders that allegedly took place as part of his so-called war on drugs, launched between 2016 and 2018; and earlier killings while he was mayor of Davao City.
The 80-year-old who is detained at the ICC jail at
The Hague, faces three charges: the first over his alleged involvement in the
killings of 19 people between 2013 and 2016, while he was mayor of Davao City;
the second involves 14 victims of targeted killings from 2016 to 2017; and the
third, for the 43 people who died during so-called clearance operations between
2016 and 2018.
The ICC's charge sheet, which includes several
redactions, dates from July but was only made public on Monday.
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| Basahin ang detalye! |
Duterte is the first Asian head of state to be indicted
by the ICC. He was flown in March to the The Hague in the Netherlands where the
court is based, and has been detained there since.
Recently, his lawyers asked that Duterte not be indicted,
citing his supposed poor mental state.
ICC deputy prosecutor Mame Mandiaye Niang said
Duterte was an "indirect co-perpetrator" in the killings, which were
allegedly carried out by others, including police, on his orders.
Prosecutors alleged how Duterte and his 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".
The former leader who was called “The Punisher”
during his term, has offered no apologies for the brutal “tokhang” killings of supposed
drug addicts and pushers. Official figures put the number of victims to more
than 6,000 but human rights activists say it could actually run in the tens of
thousands.
Duterte said his anti-drugs crackdown was necessary
to rid the country of street crimes, but critics saw it as his way of
instilling fear and solidifying support for him and his allies.
Despite
his detention, Duterte was again elected mayor of Davao City in 2022. His youngest son, Sebastian
Duterte has served as mayor in his stead.
