Philippines ex-leader Duterte makes first appearance at ICC<\/p>\n
THE HAGUE: Former Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte appeared in\nperson at the International Criminal Court (ICC) for the first time on\nWednesday (Sep 16), as he faces charges over his \u201cwar on drugs\u201d that\nkilled thousands.<\/p>\n
The 81-year-old had appeared by videolink when he was first brought\nto the court in The Hague, but had since skipped various hearings, with\nhis defence team claiming he was too ill.<\/p>\n
Dressed in a dark suit and white shirt with no tie, the former\npresident sat with his chin resting on his hands as the proceedings\nopened.<\/p>\n
Judge Joanna Korner noted his appearance in court for the first time,\nand said he could leave the court at any time without seeking permission\nfrom the bench.<\/p>\n
Duterte faces three counts of crimes against humanity, with\nprosecutors alleging his involvement in at least 76 murders between 2013\nand 2018 during his offensive against drug users and sellers.<\/p>\n
He is the first Asian former head of state to face trial at the ICC,\nwhich prosecutes individuals for the world\u2019s worst crimes such as war\ncrimes and crimes against humanity.<\/p>\n
Judge Korner has set Nov 30 as the start date of the trial, which\ncould take months or even years.<\/p>\n
Wednesday\u2019s hearing was a \u201cstatus hearing\u201d for the parties and the\njudge to fix logistical details.<\/p>\n
The only time Duterte had been seen since his arrest in March 2025\nwas an initial appearance via video, where he seemed confused and tired,\nhis speech barely audible.<\/p>\n
His defence team has argued he is not mentally fit to follow\nproceedings and that his condition continues to deteriorate.<\/p>\n
In a submission published on Tuesday, Duterte\u2019s defence team said he\nsuffered from \u201csignificant memory impairment that prevents him from\nretaining recent information and reliably accessing memories\u201d.<\/p>\n
Judges are weighing whether he is mentally fit to be tried and have\nordered a medical assessment by three experts.<\/p>\n
That assessment has not been made public but Duterte\u2019s defence cited\nthe results of examinations contained in the report.<\/p>\n
According to the defence, these examinations showed Duterte thinks he\nis living in 2007 or 2008, that he is 84 or 85 years old, and that he\ncould not recall the name of the current US president.<\/p>\n
\u201cKILL THOUSANDS\u201d<\/p>\n
During \u201cconfirmation of charges\u201d hearings in February, the\nprosecution alleged Duterte killed thousands of suspected drug dealers\nand users, first as mayor of Davao City, then as president.<\/p>\n
\u201cDecades of murdering his own people, murdering the children of the\nPhilippines, and he claims that he did it all for his country. He\ndoesn\u2019t deny it,\u201d said Julian Nicholls, summing up for the prosecution\nafter the hearings.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe ran a death squad in Davao that he created,\u201d said Nicholls,\nreferring to the city where he was mayor before he became president.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis promise was to kill thousands and he did.\u201d<\/p>\n
The true number of killings during his campaign in the Philippines is\nthought to be in the thousands, and lawyers for the victims have argued\nthat a full trial could encourage more families to come forward.<\/p>\n
His then defence lawyer Nicolas Kaufman told the court in February\nthat his client \u201cabsolutely\u201d maintained his innocence.<\/p>\n
Kaufman told ICC judges the evidence against Duterte was \u201cwholly\ninsufficient\u201d and the charges \u201cgrievously misplaced and politically\nmotivated\u201d.<\/p>\n
He argued that while Duterte used \u201cbluster and hyperbole\u201d in his\nspeeches, he also frequently ordered authorities only to shoot in\nself-defence.<\/p>\n
Duterte remains popular in the Philippines, where many favoured his\ntough approach to crime.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/philippines-ex-leader-duterte-makes-first-appearance-at-icc-1789552279", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }