Judges at the International Criminal Court have confirmed all three counts of murder as crimes against humanity against former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte and committed him to trial, Newswire reported on Thursday, citing Al Jazeera.
The judges ruled there were “substantial grounds” to believe Duterte, 81, played a key role in the murders of 76 people and the attempted murder of two others as part of his so-called “war on drugs” — a nationwide anti-narcotics campaign that human rights monitors say killed thousands of civilians during his presidency from 2016 to 2022.
Duterte was arrested in March 2025 after the Philippines rejoined the ICC, and transferred to The Hague to face the charges. Thursday’s decision moves the case from the pre-trial stage into full trial proceedings, marking one of the most high-profile prosecutions of a former head of state in the court’s history.
Prosecutors have alleged that killings carried out by police and vigilantes under Duterte’s public instruction to “kill drug users” constitute a widespread and systematic attack on a civilian population, meeting the definition of crimes against humanity under the Rome Statute. Duterte has maintained his innocence and challenged both the ICC’s jurisdiction and the legality of his arrest.
The trial is expected to draw on testimony from family members of victims, former Philippine National Police officers and human rights investigators. A trial schedule has not yet been published. The ruling will be closely followed across Asia, where several governments have run similarly aggressive counter-narcotics operations.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has said his administration will not interfere with the court’s proceedings.
