Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte appears at the International Criminal Court in The Hague, facing murder allegations over his deadly "war on drugs." Arrested on an ICC warrant, he is the first Asian ex-head of state to stand trial for crimes against humanity.
Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte makes his first appearance at the International Criminal Court in The Hague on Friday, where he faces murder allegations stemming from his "war on drugs".
Duterte arrived in the Netherlands on a flight from Manila on Wednesday and was taken into ICC custody after being arrested by authorities on an International Criminal Court warrant.
Prosecutors have accused him of crimes against humanity for what they call a systematic attack on the civilian population.
Thousands of purported drug dealers and users were killed during the crackdown, when death squads he allegedly created and armed carried out widespread extrajudicial killings.
The 79-year-old arrived at Rotterdam airport on a chartered plane Wednesday and was transferred to a detention unit on the Dutch coast up the road from the ICC building. In video message on social media, Duterte took responsibility for his actions.
Duterte, who led the Philippines from 2016 to 2022, is set to be the first Asian former head of state to go on trial at the ICC, a court of last resort created more than two decades ago to prosecute individuals for war crimes, crimes against humanity, aggression and genocide.
During an initial appearance, judges usually summarise the allegations against a suspect, who will not be asked to enter a plea. Duterte will be represented by a court-appointed defence council and his former executive secretary Salvador Medialdea.
The ageing former president will also be asked about his condition and the conditions in detention.
Duterte has said that he suffers from a series of ailments including a chronic neuromuscular disorder, back problems, migraines and a condition that can cause blockages in the blood vessels.
Duterte's surrender to the court marks a big victory for Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan, who faces U.S. sanctions over his arrest warrant for Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu.
After the initial appearance, the court will likely set a confirmation of charges hearing in several months, when prosecutors can present part of their evidence and judges decide what charges can be in the indictment. A trial would not be expected to start until early 2026.
Russia’s health watchdog said on Friday it is monitoring an anthrax outbreak in Kazakhstan’s Akmola region, where two villages were quarantined af...
EBRD stated that Ukraine urgently needs new generation capacity after Russian attacks severely damaged its power sector, creating a significant shortf...
Belarus will play an active part in next month’s United Nations conference for landlocked developing countries in Turkmenistan, Foreign Minister Mak...
Thirty PKK members, half of them women, publicly destroyed their guns on Friday in Iraq’s Sulaymaniyah province, the clearest sign yet that the outl...
Germany and the UK will sign a new 'friendship treaty' next week to deepen cooperation on foreign policy, security, and economic ties amid global chal...
The Philippines plans to negotiate with the United States to reduce newly imposed 20% tariffs on its exports, following a directive by President Donald Trump.
President Trump announced steep new tariffs on seven more countries starting 1 August, intensifying his push for what he calls "fair trade" amid rising global tensions.
The Philippine Air Force (PAF) and the U.S. Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) have launched a new round of joint air exercises under 'Cope Thunder Philippines 2025,' highlighting deepening military cooperation between the two allies.
Japan plans to export six used naval destroyers to the Philippines to bolster its maritime defence capabilities against China's growing presence, Japanese media reported Sunday.
Australian researchers have pioneered a low-cost and scalable plasma-based method to produce ammonia gas directly from air, offering a green alternative to the traditional fossil fuel-dependent Haber-Bosch process.
A series of earthquakes have struck Guatemala on Tuesday afternoon, leading authorities to advise residents to evacuate from buildings as a precaution against possible aftershocks.
Archaeologists have uncovered a 3,500-year-old city in northern Peru that likely served as a key trade hub connecting ancient coastal, Andean, and Amazonian cultures.
A deadly mass shooting early on Monday (7 July) in Philadelphia's Grays Ferry neighbourhood left three men dead and nine others wounded, including teenagers, as more than 100 shots were fired.
On July 4, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Khankendi, reaffirming the deep-rooted alliance between the two nations.
France recorded over 100 drowning deaths in just one month — a 58% rise from last year — as unusually high temperatures drove more people to water, public health officials say.
Germany’s public debt is projected to climb from 62.5% to 74% of GDP by 2030, driven by record defence and infrastructure spending, according to a report by the European rating agency Scope.
Migration offset natural decline for the fourth consecutive year, pushing the European Union’s population to an historic high of 450.4 million in 2024, according to Eurostat figures released on Friday.
The global oil market may be tighter than headline supply-demand figures suggest, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said Friday, citing rising refinery activity and seasonal summer demand as key drivers of short-term market pressure.
China’s exports are expected to have grown 5% in June as manufacturers hurried goods abroad ahead of a 12 August deadline that could see the U.S. restore punitive tariffs, a Reuters survey of economists indicates.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment