ICC says Philippines' Duterte can stand trial over war on drugs

A three-judge panel at the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Thursday confirmed that former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte can stand trial on charges of crimes against humanity.

The charges relate to Duterte's alleged role in overseeing a deadly anti-drug crackdown while serving as president of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022.

The panel said there were "substantial grounds" to support charges that Duterte was responsible for dozens of murders, first as mayor of the southern Philippine city of Davao and later while serving as president.

The Hague-based court said that the evidence against Duterte is enough to proceed to trial , with a date still to be determined.

What did the ICC say about Duterte?

The judges said evidence shows that Duterte "developed, disseminated and implemented" a policy "to 'neutralize' alleged criminals."

Human rights groups estimate 30,000 people were killed during Duterte's six years in office. The national police have reported 6,000 deaths. Suspects were often summarily executed without trial.

Amnesty International said police "followed unverified lists of people allegedly using or selling drugs, stormed into their homes and shot dead unarmed people, including those who posed no risk nor resisted the arrest."

Prosecutors said police and vigilante squads carried out murders at Duterte's behest, motivated by promises of money, or to avoid becoming targets themselves.

Ritz Lee Santos, director for Amnesty International Philippines, said the ICC's confirmation of the charges represented a "historic moment for victims and international justice."

Filipino woman who lost family to drug war takes on Duterte

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What has Duterte said?

The 81-year-old Duterte denies the charges against him. He was arrested in the Philippines in March 2025 and brought to The Hague, where the ICC is headquartered. Duterte has waived his right to be present in the courtroom for any hearings.

Earlier this week, appeals judges rejected a request from Duterte's legal team to throw out the case on the grounds that the court did not have jurisdiction because of the Philippine withdrawal from the ICC.

Duterte's defense also failed to attempt preventing the trial by citing Duterte's poor health. Previous hearings had been postponed over health issues. 

Duterte's lead defense lawyer Nick Kaufman told The Associated Press that the ICC decision "is based on the uncorroborated statements of vicious self-confessed murderers acting as cooperating witnesses."

Edited by: Karl Sexton