ICC Pre-Trial Chamber Confirms Charges Against Former Philippine President Duterte

The court concluded that there were substantial grounds to believe that Mr. Duterte had been responsible for the crimes against humanity of murder and attempted murder

Rodrigo Duterte Karl Alonzo/Malacanang Presidential Photographers Division via AP

THE HAGUE, April 23. /TASS/. The Pre-Trial Chamber of the International Criminal Court (ICC) has confirmed all charges filed against former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte and ruled to commit him to trial, the ICC said in a statement on Thursday.

"Pre-Trial Chamber I of the International Criminal Court… unanimously confirmed all the charges comprised of three counts of crimes against humanity brought by the Prosecutor against Rodrigo Roa Duterte and committed him to trial before a Trial Chamber," the statement reads.

According to the court’s statement: "Pre-Trial Chamber I concluded that there are substantial grounds to believe that Mr. Duterte is responsible for the crimes against humanity of murder and attempted murder…"

"These crimes were committed as part of a widespread and systematic attack against a civilian population on the territory of the Republic of the Philippines between 1 November 2011 and 16 March 2019 in the context of the "war on drugs" campaign," the statement added.

Duterte case

Police in the Philippines detained Duterte on March 11, 2025, under an ICC arrest warrant for crimes against humanity, as he arrived in Manila on a flight from Hong Kong, before he could be handed over to The Hague. In her appeal, Vice President of the Philippines Sara Duterte-Carpio condemned her father’s detention as "a blatant affront to our sovereignty and an insult to every Filipino who believes in our nation’s independence."

On September 15, 2021, the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber approved the prosecution’s request to launch a full investigation into crimes committed during the fight against drug trafficking in the Philippines. It concluded that there were grounds to investigate killings carried out in the country between November 1, 2011, and March 19, 2019. According to the prosecutor’s office, between 12,000 and 30,000 people were killed for using or selling drugs as part of the authorities' campaign, with many cases allegedly involving extrajudicial killings during police operations.

In March 2018, during Duterte’s presidency, the Philippines decided to withdraw from the ICC and submitted a relevant application to the UN, which came into force a year later. According to the court, this does not prevent the investigation, as the ICC retains jurisdiction over crimes committed while the country was a member.