The former president of the Philippines, Duterte, appears by video in link at the hearing of the International Criminal Court

By Mike Corder

The Hague, Netherlands (AP) – The former president of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, appeared on Friday by videoconference before the judges in the International Criminal Courtdays after his arrest in Manila for murder positions linked to the mortal ” War on drugs “That supervised while I was in office.

Duterte, 79, did not appear on the Hague court, but appeared on a video screen from the detention center where he is stopped, a mile away.

For the families of the victims of drug repression, Duterte’s appearance in court was a sign of long expected hope. Duterte’s vocal supporters call arrest illegal.

His lawyer, Salvador Mediadea, used the hearing to hit his arrest in Manila as a “pure and simple kidnapping.” He said that Duterte “was denied all access to legal resource in the country of its citizenship, and all this in the nature of the establishment of political score.”

Judge President Iulia Antoenanella Motoc established a hearing date prior to September 23 to establish whether the prosecution evidence is strong enough to deserve the sending of the case to trial. If a trial continues, it could take years, and if Duterte is convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

Estimates of the death toll during the presidential term of Duterte vary, from the more than 6,000 that the National Police has reported and up to 30,000, according to the numbers of the human rights groups.

The CPI judge said that Duterte had been allowed to participate in his first hearing by videoconference because he had just left a long flight.

Duterte, with a jacket and tie, heard the audition through the headphones, often with closed eyes. He spoke in English to confirm his name, and his appointment and place of birth. He was not obliged to enter a plea. The audience, which began about half an hour late, lasted about 30 minutes.

Mediadoa said Duterte had been under observation in a hospital due to health problems.

The judge, who was heading to Duterte, said: “The Court doctor was from the opinion that he was completely consciously and mentally.”

Duterte’s daughter greets followers outside the court

Duterte was arrested on Tuesday in the middle chaotic scenes in the capital of the Philippines after returning from a visit to Hong Kong. He was quickly placed in a rented and flown jet to the Netherlands.

His daughter, the vice president of the Philippines, Sara Duterte, visited him at the Court’s Detention Center on Friday and met with supporters outside the court. Duterte is a political rival of the current president.

She said her father is “in a good mood” and “well cared for”, and her only complaint about her conditions is that she misses the Filipina food.

She also denounced what she called a political arrest. “There will be a day of accounts for everyone,” he said, while the excited crowds around her sang “Duterte!” And “Yes, yes!”

Meanwhile, the activists marched in the region of the capital of the Philippines, demanding justice for the thousands of suspects killed in the brutal repressions of Duterte. The families of the murdered observed the procedures of the ICC on the screens established throughout the country, some containing portraits of their loved ones killed, while listening to charges read against Duterte in an audience room worldwide.

What is Duterte accused?

Prosecutors accuse Duterte of participation as an “indirect coperperator” in multiple murders, for a crime against humanity for allegedly supervising the murders from November 2011 to March 2019, first while being mayor of the city of southern Davao and later as president of the Philippines.

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The protesters have an illustration of former President Rodrigo Duterte after bars, since they ask for justice to the victims of the war on drugs during their administration in the city of Quezon, the Philippines, on Friday, March 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

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According to the request of the Arresto Prosecutor’s Office, Duterte, such as the Mayor of Davao, issued orders to the Police and other “success” formed by the so -called Davao death squads, or DDS.

He told them that “that his mission was to kill criminals, including drug traffickers, and provided authorization for murder for specific DDS,” prosecutors alleged, adding that he recruited, paid and rewarded the murderers and “provided them with the necessary weapons and resources, and promised to protect them from prosecution.”

The document that seeks a Order of the CPI for Duterte said that prosecutors built their case using evidence that includes testimony of witnesses, speeches of the Duterte itself, government documents and video.

The reaction of the rights groups

The human rights groups and the families of the victims have acclaimed the arrest of Duterte as a historical triumph against the impunity of the State, while the supporters of the former president have criticized what they call the surrender of the government of a political rival to a court whose jurisdiction disputes.

“We are happy and we are relieved,” said Melinda Abion Lafuente, 55, mother of Angelo Lafuente, 22, who, according to her, was tortured and killed in 2016.

“The appearance of Duterte before the ICC is a testimony of the courage and the determination of the victims, their families and activists and Philippine journalists to follow justice regardless of how long it takes,” said Bryony Lau, deputy director of Asia of Human Rights Watch. “Other leaders who face the arrest orders of the CPI, such as (Russian president) Vladimir Putin and (Israeli Prime Minister) Benjamin Netanyahu should take note that even those who seem untouchable today can end up in The Hague.”

Duterte defense

Duterte’s legal team said that the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. should not have allowed the global court to take the custody of the former leader because the Philippines is no longer part of the ICC.

Medialdea said that “two problematic entities reached an unlikely alliance. A titular president who wishes to neutralize and drown the legacy of my client and his daughter “and” a problematic legal institution subject to delegitimization. “

The judges who approved the arrest warrant of Duterte said that the Court has jurisdiction because the crimes alleged in the order were committed before Duterte retired Philippines from the Court in 2019.

Jim Gómez, Joeal Calupitan and Aaron Favila in Manila, Philippines and Ahmad Seir in The Hague contributed to this report.

Originally published: March 14, 2025 at 10:26 am pdt