International Criminal Court opens hearings into Rodrigo Duterte
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The International Criminal Court has started pretrial hearings on former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who is facing three counts of crimes against humanity.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) is an intergovernmental organisation and international tribunal seated in The Hague, Netherlands. Established in 2002 under the multilateral Rome Statute, the ICC is the first and only permanent international court with jurisdiction to prosecute individuals for...
Rodrigo Roa Duterte (born March 28, 1945) is a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the 16th president of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022. He had served as the mayor of Davao City in the past. Duterte is the first Philippine president from Mindanao, and is the oldest person to assume offi...
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By — Molly Quell, Associated Press Molly Quell, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/international-criminal-court-opens-hearings-into-rodrigo-duterte Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter International Criminal Court opens hearings into Rodrigo Duterte World Feb 23, 2026 2:07 PM EST THE HAGUE, Netherlands — Prosecutors at the International Criminal Court told judges on Monday that former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte encouraged death squads to carry out extrajudicial killings using fear and financial rewards. The court in The Hague is holding pretrial hearings for the ex-leader, who is facing three counts of crimes against humanity for deadly anti-drugs crackdowns he oversaw while in office. According to prosecutors, police and hit squad members carried out dozens of murders at Duterte's behest, motivated by the promise of money or to avoid becoming targets themselves. "For some, killing reached the level of a perverse form of competition," deputy prosecutor Mame Mandiaye Niang said in his opening statement. The charges date from Duterte's time as mayor of the southern Philippine city of Davao and later as president, and include dozens of killings as part of his so-called war on drugs. The hearing is not a trial, but allows prosecutors to outline their case in court. After weighing the evidence, judges have 60 days to decide whether it is strong enough to merit putting Duterte on trial. Duterte "stands behind his legacy resolutely, and he maintains his innocence absolutely," lead defense lawyer Nick Kaufman told the three-judge panel. According to Kaufman, the prosecution "cherry-picked" examples of Duterte "bombastic rhetoric," and his client's words were never intended to incite violence. READ MORE: ICC judges say former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte is fit to stand trial Duterte, 80, was not present in the courtroom, having waived his right to appear. Las...
