Philippines' Duterte authorised murders, ICC told as hearings open

The 80-year-old Duterte did not appear after the court granted a defence request for his absence, despite judges ruling he was fit to take part.

Following the hearings, the judges will have 60 days to issue a written decision on whether he should face a full trial.

Niang said Duterte played a "pivotal" role in the extrajudicial killings of suspected drug dealers and users, first as mayor of Davao City then as president.

He "authorised murders and personally selected some of the victims", said Niang.

Duterte's defence lawyer Nicholas Kaufman hit back, calling the charges "grievously misplaced and politically motivated."

Duterte "stands behind his legacy resolutely. He maintains his innocence absolutely," said Kaufman.

Kaufman acknowledged that his client was "a unique phenomenon" who was "gung-ho in his ways" and full of "hyperbole, bluster and rhetoric."

However, he accused the prosecution of "cherry-picking" Duterte's speeches, adding that many of them insist on the importance of sticking to the law.

Rival groups of demonstrators camped outside the court from early Monday.

Patricia Enriquez, a 36-year-old researcher, said it was a "historic moment" for victims of Duterte's alleged crimes.

"It is emotional. It is hopeful. It is also very painful," she told AFP.

"I'm hoping that all the Filipinos and everybody in the world will stand with us, stand with truth, stand with justice and stand with accountability." 

However, 35-year-old chef Aldo Villarta said it was a "slap in the face" for the Philippines that an international court was trying the country's former leader.

"We've already suffered so long from colonisation," said Villarta, who also argued that Duterte's human rights were being infringed by imprisonment.

- 'High value targets' -

Duterte faces three counts of crimes against humanity, with prosecutors alleging his involvement in at least 76 murders between 2013 and 2018.

The true number of killings during his campaign in the Philippines is thought to be in the thousands, and lawyers for the victims have argued that a full trial could encourage more families to come forward.

Niang said the murders charges were "merely a fraction" of the real numbers killed.

Another prosecutor, Julian Nicholls, said: "The evidence shows... that Mr Duterte murdered thousands of his own people, Filippino men, women, and children."

Showing multiple videos of Duterte threatening to kill criminals, Nicholls said: "He repeatedly promised to kill people. He said it. He did it. That is who he is."

Duterte, who was president from 2016 to 2022, was arrested in Manila in March last year, flown to the Netherlands and has since been held at the ICC's detention unit at Scheveningen Prison.

He followed his initial hearing three days later by video link, appearing dazed and frail and barely speaking.

The first of three counts against Duterte concerns his alleged involvement as a co-perpetrator in 19 murders carried out between 2013 and 2016 while he was mayor of Davao City.

The second relates to 14 murders of so-called "High Value Targets" in 2016 and 2017 when he was president.

The third charge covers 43 murders committed during "clearance" operations of lower-level alleged drug users or pushers across the Philippines between 2016 and 2018.

In Manila, about 60 relatives of those killed in the crackdown gathered around two television monitors to watch the hearing at a Catholic Church-run community centre for the poor.

The mainly elderly and middle-aged women whose husbands or sons were shot dead in police operations told AFP they were disappointed Duterte had not been required to appear.

"Maybe he does not want to own up to his sins," said Gloria Sarmiento, whose boyfriend was found dead alongside his brother in the last few weeks of the Duterte presidency.

"Maybe he is a coward."

burs-ric/cw