ICC PROSECUTOR CHARGES DUTERTE WITH 3 COUNTS OF CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY

THE International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor has formally filed three counts of crimes against humanity against former president Rodrigo Duterte .

Based on a court document signed by Deputy Prosecutor Mame Mandiaye Niang, the ICC Prosecutor accused the former president of being liable for dozens of murders that allegedly took place between 2013 to 2018.

The charges stemmed from the death of 78 individuals in the anti-illegal drugs campaign while he was Davao City mayor and during his term as president.

The first count was about Duterte’s alleged involvement as a co-perpetrator in 19 murders carried out between 2013 and 2016 while he was mayor of Davao City.

The second count involves  14 murders of alleged “High Value Targets” in 2016 and 2017 when he was president.

And the third charge is about 43 murders committed during “clearance” operations of lower-level alleged drug users or pushers.

According to the ICC Prosecutor, Duterte is liable for the crimes charged in counts 1 to 3 for “indirect co-perpetration, ordering and inducing, and aiding and abetting.”

The court document said that during the mayoral period, the attack was carried out by the Davao City police and paid non-police hitmen who together comprised the DDS (Davao Death Squad).

It added that during the presidential period, the attack was carried out by the National Network or the law enforcement personnel with non-police assets and hitmen.

Duterte was arrested on March 11 based on an ICC warrant for crimes against humanity in relation to his “bloody”war on drugs. He was flown to the Netherlands and detained at the Scheveningen Prison.