Ex-Philippines president Duterte’s trial begins at ICC
A former president of Philippines Rodrigo Duterte has appeared before the International Criminal Court over accusation of drug war that killed several peoples in his country.
Mr Duterte, arrested and transfered to the court in March 2025, dressed in a dark suit and white shirt on Wednesday and sat before the court as the proceedings opened at the court in Hague.
The 81-year-old former president denied the charges against him, adding that he acted in self-defence as part of his anti-drug offensive.
“Decades of murdering his own people, murdering the children of the Philippines, and he claims that he did it all for his country. He doesn’t deny it. His promise was to kill thousand, and he did, ” said Julian Nicholls, summing up for the prosecution after the hearing.
The ex-president appeared by video link when he was first brought to the court, but had since skipped hearings, with his defence team claiming he was too ill.
The former president faces three count charges against humanity with prosecutors alleging his involvement in at least 76 murders between 2013 and 2018 during his war against drug users and sellers.
He is the first Asian former head of state to face trial at the ICC.
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