Deputy Prosecutor: ‘He authorized murders and personally selected some victims’
(ANSA-AFP) – ROME, FEBRUARY 23 – The International Criminal Court (ICC) has started hearings in the case of crimes attributed to former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte, 80, during his bloody war against drug users and traffickers in his country.
Duterte, who led the Philippines from 2016 to 2022, was absent from the hearings as the court approved his request to waive his right to appear. At the end of four days of hearings, known as “confirmation of charges”, the jurisdiction based in The Hague will determine whether the former Philippine president will be tried during a trial.
ICC Assistant Prosecutor Mame Mandiaye Niang said this case shows that “the powerful are not above the law.” According to her, Duterte “authorized killings” and “personally selected some victims” while fighting drug users and traffickers.
For his part, the former Philippine president denies the accusations, his lawyer Nicholas Kaufman told reporters before the hearing. (ANSA-AFP).
