The International Criminal Court (ICC) formally accused the former Filipino president of three charges of crimes against humanity, stating that he was involved in the murder of 76 people in the framework of his bloody war against drugs, in a process that he had to begin this Tuesday but has been postponed. “Duterte is criminally responsible” for dozens of murders such as “indirect co -author,” said the ICC on a charging sheet written last July but only published on Monday night.
The first position against the president of eighty years, argued the prosecutor of the ICC is to have ordered the death of 19 people between 2013 and 2016 when he was still mayor of the southern city of Davao, a position under which he himself, with his hands, killed people ,.
It was in the southern bastion that Duterte directed for decades where he tested his bloody war against drugs, which he later exported at the national level during his term between 2016 and 2022.
“During his period as mayor, Duterte (…) and the aforementioned officials in charge of enforcing the law used the police of the city of Davao and other hitmen to kill alleged criminals,” says the document, without making public the names of the former president’s collaborators.
The other two positions are related to the murders of 57 people. Around one third of them were classified by the ICC as “high value” objectives, some of which appeared in a list that offered monetary incentives to the police responsible for their death.
These 57 murders took place since the beginning of the Duterte mandate in 2016 until 2019, when the former president took the Philippines of the Rome Statute that governs the ICC for fear of being prosecuted. “Duterte and his co -authors shared a common plan or agreement for To the alleged criminals in the Philippines (…) through violent crimes, including murder, “said the ICC.
The International Court also said that the ex -president directed the so -called Davao death squad.
THE KEYS OF THE PROCESS
The CPI ordered the arrest of the Filipino exmandatary last March, accusing him of the crime against humanity of murder in the framework of his war on drugs, which during his term (2016-2022) left 6,000 dead according to the police and about 30,000 according to local NGOs.
Delivering to the ICC last March 12 in response to an arrest warrant, Duterte first appeared before the judges two days later, which was when the hearing was set for confirmation of charges for this Tuesday.
On September 8, however, the CPI preliminary issues room determined that the procedure should be delayed in a limited manner, after the ex -president’s lawyers requested a postponement when claiming that it is not in a position to be judged.
If it is finally confirmed that it is in conditions, the procedure could be resumed immediately, since the Prosecutor’s Office has already completed the presentation of evidence and documents.
