Overview
- ICC pre-trial judges on Thursday confirmed three crimes against humanity counts against Rodrigo Duterte and sent the case to trial.
- The decision came a day after appeals judges said the court keeps jurisdiction because the probe began before the Philippines left the Rome Statute in 2019.
- Judges said there are substantial grounds to believe Duterte played a key role in 76 murders and two attempted murders that prosecutors chose as emblematic of a wider killing campaign.
- Prosecutors allege Duterte created, funded and armed death squads, while his lawyers say he is not mentally fit and argue there is no direct order tying him to the killings.
- Duterte, 81, has been in ICC detention in The Hague since March 2025, and a trial that would be the court’s first against a former Asian head of state could still be months away as victims’ groups call it a long-awaited step toward accountability.