Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
Former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte appeared at a hearing at the International Criminal Court on Wednesday, making his first public appearance in more than a year. The hearing in The Hague dealt mainly with scheduling issues ahead of his trial, which is expected to begin in November.
Duterte, 81, is facing charges of crimes against humanity over allegations of murder and attempted murder linked to dozens of killings during his so-called war on drugs. He denies the charges. Smiling and waving to supporters, he attended the pretrial hearing in person, dressed in a black suit and white shirt.
advertisement
Duterte was arrested in the Philippines in March 2025 and sent to The Hague. He had made his initial appearance through a video link from the court’s detention centre and had not attended another session until Wednesday. His lawyers had sought to have the case dismissed on medical grounds, but judges rejected a request for his release from custody and ruled earlier this year that he was fit to stand trial.
The ICC has been investigating mass killings linked to crackdowns overseen by Duterte, first during his time as mayor of Davao and later as president of the Philippines. Estimates of the death toll during his presidency vary sharply, from more than 6,000 reported by the national police to as many as 30,000 claimed by human rights groups.
Prosecutors say police and government hit squads carried out dozens of killings on Duterte’s orders, driven by promises of money or by fear of becoming targets themselves. In June, presiding judge Joanna Korner told Duterte’s lawyers that she wanted him to appear in court, saying, “We would expect Mr Duterte to be here unless there’s some medical issue.” Earlier this week, his counsel asked for further medical evaluations.
Relatives of people killed in the drug crackdowns gathered in Manila to watch the hearing as a group, chanting, “Justice for all victims of the killings!” A small group of protesters also assembled outside the ICC before the hearing to support the proceedings.
A month after the court announced a preliminary investigation into the violent anti-drug crackdown in February 2018, Duterte said the Philippines would withdraw from the ICC. Last year, judges rejected a request by his legal team to dismiss the case because of that withdrawal, saying countries cannot “abuse” their right to leave the court’s founding Rome Statute “by shielding persons from justice in relation to alleged crimes that are already under consideration.”
Earlier this year, an attempt to arrest another ICC suspect in connection with the drug killings ended in gunfire inside the Philippine Senate in May, though nobody was hurt. The court had unsealed an arrest warrant for Ronald Marapon dela Rosa, Duterte’s former national police chief. He went into hiding after the Senate standoff and remains on the run. In July, the Philippine Senate, sitting as an impeachment court, opened the trial of Duterte’s daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte. She faces charges including amassing unexplained wealth and publicly threatening the family of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. She denies the charges. Wednesday’s hearing marked a key step before Duterte’s expected trial in November, as the ICC case over the killings linked to his anti-drug campaign moved forward.
With PTI Inputs
– Ends
SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
