ICC charges Duterte in war on drugs crimes

The International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor has charged former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte as an indirect co-perpetrator in crimes against humanity, citing specific cases from his war on drugs campaign.

Among the handpicked cases are the 'one time, big time' police operations in Bulacan and Caloocan in 2017 and 2018, where 32 people were killed during a 24-hour operation in Bulacan under President Duterte's approval.

The prosecutor also highlighted eight killings from these operations in the war on drugs case set, with nine more unlisted cases from Bulacan, emphasizing that vigilantes were allegedly tolerated or sanctioned by law enforcement.

Rappler’s investigation revealed over 500 vigilante killings in Bulacan from 2016 to 2017, further supporting the prosecutor's claim of a coordinated plan involving police and non-police assets.

The ICC prosecutor argues that these cases represent a pattern of widespread and systematic attacks against individuals labeled as drug suspects, aligning with crimes against humanity under international law.