Prosecutors of the International Criminal Court of the Court of Justice in The Hague have accused former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte of crimes against humanity, the court said in a statement on 22 September.
According to the International Criminal Court, Duterte may be involved in at least 76 murders in 2016-2018. He is also being investigated for his involvement in at least hundreds of murders during his reign as mayor of Davao, thousands of other killings during his presidency and other violent crimes.
The Filipino politician was detained in March 2025 when he returned to his home country. He was forcibly put on a plane to The Hague, where the International Criminal Court is located. There, Duterte has been in custody for months.
The International Criminal Court is investigating 80-year-old Rodrigo Duterte and several others for possible extrajudicial killings and other human rights violations during his fight against drug cartels in the Philippines.
The policy has resulted in the deaths of more than 6,000 suspected drug and substance suspects, according to various human rights organisations and journalists. The politician encouraged Filipinos to kill drug users and people associated with the drug business themselves and claimed to have personally killed three drug dealers.
During the coronavirus pandemic, Duterte also ordered to “shoot to death” quarantine violators if they resisted.
Duterte removed the Philippines from the International Criminal Court 2019. But the court retains jurisdiction over crimes that took place in the countries during their time as members of the court – that is, from 2016, when Duterte became president, until 2019.