Former president Rodrigo Duterte (pic) faces a pre-trial hearing at the International Criminal Court (ICC) over crimes against humanity allegedly committed as part of a brutal crackdown on drugs.
The “confirmation of charges” hearing, taking place over four days, will determine whether there is enough evidence against Duterte to proceed to a trial.
The 80-year-old is unlikely to be present at the hearing in The Hague, after his defence filed a request to waive his right to appear, despite judges ruling that he was fit to take part.
Following the hearing, the judges will have 60 days to issue a written decision.
ICC prosecutors have charged Duterte with three counts of crimes against humanity, alleging his involvement in at least 76 murders between 2013 and 2018.
The true number of killings is thought to be in the thousands, and lawyers for the victims have argued that if the case goes to trial it could encourage many more families to come forward.
Duterte, who was president from 2016 to 2022, was arrested in Manila in March last year, flown directly to the Netherlands and has since been held at Scheveningen Prison.
The first of three counts against Duterte 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 between 2016 and 2018.
Duterte denies the charges, his lawyer Nicholas Kaufman said ahead of the hearing. — AFP
