ICC prosecutors allege former Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte personally selected victims and authorised murders in his drug war, as confirmation of charges hearings begin.
AMSTERDAM: International Criminal Court prosecutors alleged on Monday that former Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte personally authorised murders and hand-picked some of the victims of his “war on drugs”.
ICC deputy prosecutor Mame Mandiaye Niang told judges the week-long “confirmation of charges” hearings were a reminder that those in power are not above the law.
The 80-year-old Duterte did not appear after the court granted a defence request for his absence, despite judges ruling he was fit to take part.
Niang said Duterte played a pivotal role in the extrajudicial killings of suspected drug dealers and users, first as mayor of Davao City and then as president.
He authorised murders and personally selected some of the victims, according to the prosecution’s opening statement.
Duterte’s defence lawyer Nicholas Kaufman hit back, calling the charges grievously misplaced and politically motivated.
Kaufman stated that Duterte stands behind his legacy resolutely and maintains his innocence absolutely.
The defence lawyer acknowledged his client was a unique phenomenon who was gung-ho in his ways and full of hyperbole, bluster and rhetoric.
However, he accused the prosecution of cherry-picking through Duterte’s speeches, adding that many of them insist on the importance of sticking to the law.
Duterte faces three counts of crimes against humanity, with prosecutors alleging his involvement in at least 76 murders between 2013 and 2018.
The true number of killings during his campaign in the Philippines is thought to be in the thousands, according to legal observers.
Niang said the murder charges were merely a fraction of the real numbers killed.
The first count concerns his alleged involvement as a co-perpetrator in 19 murders carried out between 2013 and 2016 while he was mayor of Davao City.
The second relates to 14 murders of so-called High Value Targets in 2016 and 2017 when he was president.
The third charge covers 43 murders committed during clearance operations of lower-level alleged drug users or pushers across the Philippines between 2016 and 2018.
Following the hearings, the judges will have 60 days to issue a written decision on whether he should face a full trial.
Duterte, who was president from 2016 to 2022, was arrested in Manila in March last year and has since been held at the ICC’s detention unit at Scheveningen Prison in the Netherlands.
Rival groups of demonstrators camped outside the court from early Monday, with one victim’s relative calling it a historic moment.
Patricia Enriquez, a 36-year-old researcher, said it was emotional, hopeful and also very painful for victims of Duterte’s alleged crimes.
However, 35-year-old chef Aldo Villarta said it was a slap in the face for the Philippines that an international court was trying the country’s former leader.
In Manila, about 60 relatives of those killed in the crackdown gathered to watch the hearing at a Catholic Church-run community centre.
The mainly elderly and middle-aged women whose husbands or sons were shot dead in police operations told AFP they were disappointed Duterte had not been required to appear.
The Sun Malaysia
