On Friday afternoon, Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte appeared for the first time before judges at the International Criminal Court (ICC), after his sensational extradition to The Hague earlier in the week.
During the preliminary hearing, the 79-year-old former leader appeared before the three judges of the court’s Pre-Trial Chamber I, the ICC said in a statement. Also attending the hearing were the ICC Prosecutor and Duterte’s defense lawyer Salvador Medialdea.
According to the court, “The Chamber verified the identity of the suspect and ensured that he was clearly informed of the crimes he is alleged to have committed and of his rights under the Rome Statute of the ICC in a language he fully understands and speaks.” Duterte was not asked to enter a plea.
Duterte was arrested at Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport on March 11, by Philippine police acting on ICC warrant accusing him of crimes against humanity in his violent “war on drugs.” Hours later, he was placed aboard a jet at the nearby Villamor Air Base and swiftly transferred to The Hague, where he was officially handed over to ICC custody on March 12.
As many as 30,000 people were killed during Duterte’s extrajudicial anti-narcotics campaign, which he waged both as president from 2016 to 2022, and during his years as the mayor of Davao City in the Southern Philippines. In his application for an arrest warrant, the ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan said that Duterte’s alleged crimes were “part of a widespread and systematic attack directed against the civilian population in the Philippines.”
During yesterday’s hearing, Duterte addressed the Chamber briefly, confirming his name and date of birth for the court. Medialdea also addressed the court, complaining that his client’s arrest was tantamount to a “pure and simple kidnapping” and a “gross abuse of process.” He described the case was “in the nature of political score settling,” referring to the feud that has broken out between Duterte and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. since the two political clans joined forces for the 2022 presidential election.
Medialdea also claimed that his client was suffering from “debilitating” medical issues that would impact his ability to give testimony. Duterte has previously said that he suffers from a number of health problems, including a chronic neuromuscular disorder. According to ABC News, the former leader, who appeared via videolink from the court’s detention unit, “wore a blue suit and tie and appeared frail” during his brief testimony.
Presiding Judge Iulia Antoanella Motoc responded that the court doctor had examined Duterte upon arrival and was of the opinion that he was “fully mentally aware and fit,” Reuters reported. Motoc added that Duterte’s defense team would have the opportunity to raise issues relating to his health, as well as his arrest and transfer to the ICC, at a later date.
Back in the Philippines, where the excitement and controversy whipped up by Duterte’s arrest has yet to settle, Senator Imee Marcos, a sister of President Marcos who has often been at odds with her brother, said that she planned to convene a committee to investigate Duterte’s arrest and transfer to The Hague. “I am calling for an urgent investigation into the arrest [of Duterte], an issue that has deeply divided the nation… It is imperative to establish whether due process was followed,” she said in a statement today, according to ABS-CBN news.
Friday’s ICC hearing concluded with the judges provisionally scheduling a “confirmation of charges” hearing to begin on September 23. According to the ICC, the purpose of the confirmation of charges procedure “is to determine whether there is sufficient evidence to establish substantial grounds to believe that the person committed the crimes he or she is suspected of. If the charges are confirmed, totally or partly, the case will be transferred to a Trial Chamber, which will conduct the subsequent phase of the proceedings: the trial.”