Duterte Appears in Person at ICC for First Time, Facing Crimes-Against-Humanity Trial Over Drug War

Rodrigo Duterte walked into a courtroom at the International Criminal Court in The Hague on Wednesday, the first time the former Philippine president has appeared in person before the tribunal since it took custody of him a year and a half ago. He's the first former head of state from Asia to face trial at the ICC.

Duterte, 81, is charged with crimes against humanity over his "war on drugs," the campaign of anti-narcotics operations he ran first as mayor of Davao City and later as president. Prosecutors allege at least 76 killings between 2013 and 2022, though the real toll is disputed by orders of magnitude: Philippine police put the number of suspects killed at 6,200, while rights groups and ICC prosecutors estimate it could be as high as 30,000.

ICC prosecutors accuse Duterte of creating, funding and arming death squads that targeted drug users and dealers. Duterte denies the charges. His defense says he only ordered police to act in self-defense as part of the anti-drug offensive — a claim that puts the case at the center of a years-long dispute over whether the killings were lawful policing or extrajudicial executions ordered from the top.

Wednesday's hearing was a status check, not the trial itself — largely about whether Duterte is fit to stand trial at all. His defense team has argued he is suffering serious cognitive decline, telling the court he believes the year is 2007 or 2008 and cannot reliably recall events. Judges ruled in January that he is healthy enough to proceed and ordered him to appear.

The trial itself is set to open November 30. Families of the victims have waited years for this stage of the case, with some describing it as a shot at "the justice we have been waiting for." Duterte remains in ICC custody in The Hague.