Former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte on Friday failed to attend in person an initial hearing at the International Criminal Court (ICC) as he faces crimes against humanity charges over his deadly crackdown on narcotics.
The 79-year-old, the first ex-Asian head of state charged by the ICC, followed by video during a short hearing to inform him of the crimes he is alleged to have committed, as well as his rights as a defendant.
Sounding frail and wearing a blue suit and tie, he spoke briefly to confirm his name and date of birth. Presiding Judge Iulia Motoc allowed him to follow proceedings in absentia due to his long flight to The Hague, Netherlands.
Photo: AFP
His lawyer Salvador Medialdea told the court that his client had been “abducted from his country.”
“He was summarily transported to The Hague. To lawyers it’s extrajudicial rendition. For less legal minds, it’s pure and simple kidnapping,” Medialdea said.
Duterte had a “debilitating medical issue,” the lawyer said, adding that “other than to identify himself, he is not able to contribute to this hearing.”
Duterte appeared sleepy during the proceedings, closing his eyes frequently for long periods.
However, Motoc told Duterte: “The court doctor was of the opinion that you were fully mentally aware and fit.”
She set a date of Sept. 23 for the next stage of the process: a hearing to confirm the charges.
Duterte stands accused of the crime against humanity of murder over his years-long campaign against drug users and dealers that rights groups said killed thousands.
In the prosecutor’s application for his arrest, he said Duterte’s alleged crimes were “part of a widespread and systematic attack directed against the civilian population in the Philippines.”
“Potentially tens of thousands of killings were perpetrated,” the prosecutor alleged of the campaign that targeted mostly poor men, often without proof they were linked to drugs.
Victims’ families have welcomed the trial as a chance for justice, while Duterte supporters believe he was “kidnapped” and sent to The Hague amid a spectacular fall-out with the ruling Marcos family.
In Manila, Jane Lee, whose husband was killed in the drug war, said she was barely able to contain her rage at the sight of the former president.
“When I saw him, I was so angry I could barely control myself,” the 42-year-old said at a public viewing of the ICC proceedings.
His whirlwind arrest and surrender offer a welcome boon to the embattled ICC, which is being attacked from all sides and sanctioned by the US, international law experts said.
“I see the arrest and handing over of Duterte as a gift at an important moment in time,” said Willem van Genugten, professor of international law at Tilburg University in the Netherlands.
At the confirming of charges hearing, a suspect can challenge the prosecutor’s evidence.
Only after that would the court decide whether to press ahead with a trial, a process that could take several months or even years.
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