Rodrigo Duterte is expected to make his first appearance at the international criminal court (ICC) on Friday, as the former Philippines president faces crimes against humanity charges over his deadly “war on drugs”.
The court said in a statement late on Thursday that it “considers it appropriate” for Duterte to appear Friday at 2pm local time (1pm GMT).
At the hearing, the 79-year-old will be informed of the crimes he is alleged to have committed, as well as his rights as a defendant.
Duterte stands accused of the crime against humanity of murder over his years-long campaign against drug users and dealers that rights groups said killed tens of thousands of people.
As he landed in The Hague, the former leader was calm when he appeared to accept responsibility for his actions, saying in a Facebook video: “I have been telling the police, the military, that it was my job and I am responsible.”
It stood in sharp contrast to details that emerged of a chaotic 12-hour standoff around his arrest on Tuesday in Manila. Duterte threatened a police general with lawsuits, refused to be fingerprinted and told law enforcers “you have to kill me to bring me to The Hague,” according to police Maj. Gen. Nicolas Torre.
The standoff occurred at a Philippine airbase before he and other police officers managed to bring the former leader on to a government-chartered jet that took him to the Netherlands.
Torre described the confrontation as “very tense” and said Duterte refused to be fingerprinted.
Duterte’s legal team challenges his arrest and said that Philippine authorities didn’t show any copy of the ICC warrant and violated his constitutional rights.
The arrest also came amid a breakdown in relations between his family and the Marcos family, who had previously joined forces to run the Philippines.
Current president Ferdinand Marcos and vice-president Sara Duterte – Rodrigo’s daughter – are at loggerheads, with the latter facing an impeachment trial over charges including an alleged assassination plot against Marcos.
Sara Duterte is in the Netherlands to support her father, after labelling his arrest “oppression and persecution”, with the Duterte family having sought an emergency injunction from the supreme court to stop his transfer.
But victims of the “war on drugs” hope that Duterte will finally face justice for his alleged crimes.
The high-profile Duterte case comes at a critical moment for the ICC, as it faces unprecedented pressure from all sides, including US sanctions.
In February, US President Donald Trump imposed sanctions on the court over what he said were “illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America and our close ally Israel.”
The ICC has issued an arrest warrant for Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity during the Gaza war.
Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan hailed Duterte’s arrest as a key moment for victims and international justice as a whole.
“Many say that international law is not as strong as we want, and I agree with that. But as I also repeatedly emphasise, international law is not as weak as some may think,” Khan said in a statement following Duterte’s arrival in ICC custody.
“When we come together … when we build partnerships, the rule of law can prevail. Warrants can be executed,” he said.
At the initial hearing, a suspect can request interim release pending a trial, according to ICC rules. Following that first hearing, the next phase is a session to confirm the charges, at which point a suspect can challenge the prosecutor’s evidence.
Only after that hearing will the court decide whether to press ahead with a trial, a process that could take several months or even years.
“It’s important to underline, as we now start a new stage of proceedings, that Mr Duterte is presumed innocent,” said Khan.
With Associated Press and Agence France-Presse
