Duterte Makes First In-Person Appearance at The Hague Over 'War on Drugs' Killings

Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte walked into a courtroom at the International Criminal Court in The Hague on Wednesday for the first time in person, more than a year after he was arrested in Manila and flown to the Netherlands to face charges over the deadly anti-narcotics campaign he oversaw as president.

A Long-Delayed Appearance

The 81-year-old had previously appeared before the court only by video link, with his legal team repeatedly citing his declining health to justify his absence from subsequent hearings. His decision to show up in person this time, dressed in a dark suit and white shirt, marked a notable shift after months of proceedings conducted largely without him physically present. Presiding Judge Joanna Korner noted his appearance for the record and informed him that he was free to leave the courtroom at any point during proceedings without needing the court's permission, a standard accommodation given his age and health history.

Duterte reportedly sat through the hearing with his chin resting on his hands, saying little as prosecutors and defence lawyers laid out procedural groundwork for the case ahead.

The Charges

Duterte faces three counts of crimes against humanity connected to the brutal war on drugs he championed during his 2016-2022 presidency, a campaign that rights groups and independent investigators have long alleged resulted in thousands of extrajudicial killings of suspected drug users and small-time dealers, often carried out by police or vigilante groups operating with apparent impunity. ICC prosecutors have specifically linked Duterte to at least 76 murders committed between 2013 and 2018, a period spanning both his tenure as mayor of Davao City, where he first built his hardline reputation, and the early years of his presidency.

His case is historic in one important respect: Duterte is the first former Asian head of state to face trial at the ICC, an institution set up to prosecute individuals, rather than states, for the gravest international crimes, including genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.

What Comes Next

Judge Korner has set November 30 as the date the substantive trial will begin, a proceeding expected to stretch on for months, and quite possibly years, given the scale of evidence prosecutors are expected to present and the complexity of establishing command responsibility for a campaign carried out by thousands of individual officers across the Philippines.

The case has divided opinion both within the Philippines and internationally. Duterte retains a substantial base of domestic support among Filipinos who credit his drug war with reducing crime, even as human rights organisations have spent years documenting what they describe as a systematic pattern of extrajudicial killings sanctioned from the top of the country's police and political establishment. His arrest and transfer to The Hague last year already triggered significant domestic political fallout in Manila, and Wednesday's in-person appearance is likely to reignite that debate as the case now moves toward a full trial.

For the ICC itself, successfully prosecuting a former head of state from a country that withdrew from the court's founding treaty during Duterte's own presidency would represent a significant test of the institution's reach and credibility in a region where its jurisdiction has often been contested.

This is an original summary based on public reporting. See our editorial policy for how we source, write, and correct our stories.