Duterte refuses to attend ICC pre-trial hearing, as former Philippine leader’s ‘drug war’ case begins | Rodrigo Duterte

Former Philippine leader Rodrigo Duterte’s pre-trial hearing over his alleged role in a deadly “drug war” is set to begin at the international criminal court on Monday, despite his refusal to attend the hearings.

Duterte, 80, who was arrested in Manila and sent to The Hague last year, is accused of crimes against humanity over an anti-drug crackdown in which thousands of people have been killed.

The ICC will hold a pre-trial hearing to verify the charges against him, despite Duterte announcing last week that he would not attend court, saying he was “old, tired and weak” and suffering from memory loss. He called allegations that he was pursuing a policy of extrajudicial killings a “horrible lie” and said he did not recognize the court’s jurisdiction.

Families of the victims, who have been waiting for a long time for Duterte to be brought to justice, accused the former president of cowardice.

“He must face everything he did to us and their families.” [other] “The victims,” ​​said Sarah Celiz, 61, whose two sons, Almon and Dicklie, were killed in separate incidents in 2017.

Duterte’s supporters tried to sympathize with the former leader, citing his age and poor health.

“He never showed us mercy,” responded Celiz, who has been campaigning for Duterte’s prosecution for years. “My son begged for mercy, but he showed no mercy. So why should we have mercy on him? No.”

The justices granted a request from Duterte’s defense to waive its right to attend this week’s hearings, but said the reasons given were “speculative.”

The court ruled last month that Duterte was fit to attend the hearings and rejected his defense team’s arguments that he could not attend due to “cognitive impairment in multiple domains.”

Llore Pasco, whose two sons Crisanto and Juan Carlos were killed during anti-drug operations in 2017, said in a statement last week that Duterte was “a coward who is desperate to escape responsibility.”

The pre-trial hearing will determine whether there is sufficient evidence to believe Duterte committed the charges of murder and attempted murder, which are crimes against humanity.

The hearing will end on Friday and a written decision will be given within 60 days. If approved, the case will be brought to trial.

Duterte was elected in 2016 after promising a bloody crackdown that would rid the country of drugs.

As he took office, he openly encouraged civilians to kill addicts and said he would not sue police for extrajudicial killings. He later stated in a speech in which he compared himself to Hitler and stated that he would “be happy to slaughter” millions of drug addicts. On another occasion, he admitted to personally killing suspected criminals while he was mayor of his hometown, Davao.

The ICC’s investigation into anti-drug killings covers alleged crimes committed from November 2011 to June 2016, including alleged extrajudicial killings in Davao and across the country during his presidency until March 16, 2019, when the Philippines withdrew from the court.

According to estimates cited by the ICC prosecutor, the total number of civilians killed due to the war on drugs is between 12,000 and 30,000.

In a statement last week, Duterte called his arrest a “kidnapping” facilitated by current president Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and said he was “forced onto a jet and handed over to The Hague in the Netherlands, in clear violation of the Philippine constitution and national sovereignty.”

“I have come to terms with the fact that I may die in prison. But those who desire this fate for me should know that my heart and soul will always remain in the Philippines,” he said.

Although the war on drugs has sparked international outrage, Duterte has remained hugely popular at home. Current vice president daughter Sara Duterte announced last week that she would run for president in the country’s 2028 elections, with polls showing she would be a strong contender.

Some victims’ families who have spoken out against the war on drugs fear retaliation if Sara Duterte is elected president

However, Celiz said he was not afraid. “Since my sons died, fear is no longer in my vocabulary,” he said.

He added that he wanted the court to act quickly to ensure justice. “[The ICC] “Getting justice for the victims is our only hope.”

Guill Ramos contributed reporting