The International Criminal Court announced Thursday that it will try former Philippine leader Rodrigo Duterte after pretrial judges upheld all charges against him. Rodrigo Duterte is accused of crimes against humanity, with the ICC accusing him of being involved in at least 76 murders linked to his "war on drugs", which is said to have claimed several thousand victims.
Published on: 04/23/2026 - 11:56 Modified on: 04/23/2026 - 9:14 p.m.
Rodrigo Duterte will be tried before the ICC, announced Thursday April 23, the International Criminal Court (ICC), which confirmed the accusations of crimes against humanity against the former Philippine leader, allegedly committed during his "war on drugs".
“The judges of the preliminary phase unanimously confirmed all the charges (...) against Rodrigo Roa Duterte and sent him for trial,” the ICC said in a press release.
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ICC prosecutors have charged the former Manila strongman with three counts of crimes against humanity, accusing him of being involved in at least 76 murders linked to his "war on drugs" which is said to have claimed several thousand victims since his election in 2016.
Rodrigo Duterte will be the first former Asian head of state to appear before the ICC, which tries individuals for the world's most serious crimes, such as war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Too weakened to appear in person
The court is currently facing the most difficult period in its 24-year history, with the United States imposing sanctions on key judges and officials after the ICC issued arrest warrants for Israeli leaders in connection with the Gaza war.
It is likely that the former Philippine leader, aged 81, will not appear in person before the judges.
His defense claims he is too mentally impaired to follow the procedure. He also did not appear during the week of confirmation of charges hearings.
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The only time Rodrigo Duterte has been seen since his arrest was during an initial appearance via videoconference, where he appeared disoriented and weakened.
The pre-trial judges concluded that there were "substantial grounds to believe that Duterte is responsible for the crimes against humanity of murder and attempted murder," the ICC statement said.
With AFP
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