The International Criminal Court made public crimes-against-humanity charges against former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte on September 22, 2025, alleging his criminal responsibility for dozens of killings during his years in power. The 80-year-old had been held in The Hague since March and became the first former Asian head of state indicted by the court.
The partly redacted charge sheet contained three counts. The first concerned the alleged killings of 19 people in Davao City from 2013 to 2016, when Duterte was mayor. A second covered 14 alleged murders of people described as high-value targets after he became president. The third related to the murder and attempted murder of 45 people during village-clearance operations.
ICC Deputy Prosecutor Mame Mandiaye Niang described Duterte as an indirect co-perpetrator. Prosecutors alleged that he and other participants, including police, shared a plan to neutralise people accused or perceived to be involved in drug use, sales or production through violent crimes including murder. The charges remain allegations to be tested through the court’s procedures.
Duterte served as president from 2016 to 2022 and made a harsh anti-drug campaign a defining policy. Official figures cited in the supplied account put the number killed during the crackdown above 6,000, while activists believe the true total could be far higher. Duterte defended the campaign as an effort to curb drug dealing and street crime and did not apologise for its methods.
His lawyer argued that poor health left him unable to stand trial. Despite his detention, Duterte was elected again as mayor of Davao in May 2025. His son Sebastian, who had held the post since 2022, continued as acting mayor while his father remained in custody.
The case also carried a domestic political dispute. Duterte’s supporters accused President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, who had fallen out publicly with the Duterte family, of allowing the ICC to be used as a political instrument. Marcos had previously rejected cooperation with the court. The ICC depends on states to execute arrests because it has no police force of its own.
The publication of the charge sheet established the specific incidents on which prosecutors intended to rely, rather than determining guilt. It separated allegations from Duterte’s time as Davao mayor from those tied to the national drug campaign he launched as president. Any trial would require the court to address both the evidentiary case and the defence claim that his medical condition prevents him from participating. No judgment on those competing claims had been made. The proceedings also remained separate from the political consequences of his election in Davao.
