However, even if the judges decide to proceed with the trial, observers predict that the proceedings will progress at a “glacial pace”, potentially taking years to reach a ruling.
Duterte, who governed the Philippines from 2016 to 2022, was surrendered to the ICC in March last year over his sweeping anti-narcotics crackdown that Philippine police acknowledged killed more than 6,000 suspects, though rights groups put the true toll as high as 30,000.
Advertisement
At pre-trial hearings that began in February, Duterte was accused of three counts of crimes against humanity – covering murder and, in one count, attempted murder – as “an indirect co-perpetrator” who had conspired with police to kill drug war victims.
05:18
How Rodrigo Duterte’s deadly anti-drug campaign in the Philippines led to his downfall
How Rodrigo Duterte’s deadly anti-drug campaign in the Philippines led to his downfall
Prosecutors pointed to the notorious Davao Death Squad – a shadowy group long accused of carrying out extrajudicial killings in Duterte’s southern home city – saying he had “personally selected some of the targets” as mayor and later as president, and had told police whom to take out, with cash rewards as incentives.
Advertisement