<\/p>\nListen to this article<\/span>\u00a0|\u00a0<\/span>4 mins<\/span><\/p>\n<\/button>info<\/title><path class=\"icon-main-color\" d=\"M12 0a12 12 0 1 0 0 24 12 12 0 0 0 0-24Zm-.226 3.225a2.039 2.039 0 0 1 2.155 1.924v.193a1.998 1.998 0 0 1-2.155 2.149 2.029 2.029 0 0 1-2.146-2.15 2.039 2.039 0 0 1 1.955-2.122h.193l-.002.006Zm3.227 15.525a.75.75 0 0 1-.752.75H9.75a.75.75 0 0 1-.75-.75v-1.5a.75.75 0 0 1 .752-.75h.748V12h-.75a.75.75 0 0 1-.75-.75v-1.5a.75.75 0 0 1 .752-.751h3a.75.75 0 0 1 .75.752v6.75h.75a.75.75 0 0 1 .75.749L15 18.75Z\"\/><\/svg><\/button><\/div>\n<div aria-live=\"polite\" aria-atomic=\"true\">\n<p>The International Criminal Court (ICC) is set to hold a hearing to determine whether former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte should stand trial for crimes against humanity over his deadly antidrug crackdown.<\/p>\n<p>The four-day \u201cconfirmation of charges\u201d hearing, which will start at 09:00 GMT on Monday, will determine whether there is enough evidence against Duterte to proceed to a formal trial.<\/p>\n<section class=\"more-on\">\n<h2 class=\"more-on__heading\">Recommended Stories<!-- --> <\/h2>\n<p><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">list of 3 items<\/span><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">end of list<\/span><\/section>\n<p>The 80-year-old former leader, however, will not be present at the hearing in The Hague after the court granted a defence request to waive his right to appear, despite judges ruling that he was fit to take part.<\/p>\n<p>Following the hearing, the judges will have 60 days to issue a written decision.<\/p>\n<p>The case marks a reversal of fortune for Duterte, who has repeatedly cursed the ICC, and offers families of victims and survivors of his bloody six-year war on drugs a chance at justice.<\/p>\n<p>The United States-based watchdog Human Rights Watch said the hearing on Monday is \u201ca critical step in ensuring justice for victims of the Philippines\u2019 \u2018war on drugs’\u201d, while families of victims called it a \u201cmoment of truth\u201d.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"hopes-for-justice\">Hopes for justice<\/h2>\n<p>Llore Pasco, mother of two men who were killed by unknown attackers in 2017, told Al Jazeera that it was urgent that all those involved in the so-called war on drugs, including the former president, \u201care held accountable\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI feel a little bit nervous, but this is the moment of truth. We are all hoping that the ICC and the judges will hear the cry of the victims.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4331428\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4331428\" style=\"width:770px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-arc-image-770 wp-image-4331428\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AFP__20260220__98AT8KE__v1__MidRes__PhilippinesIccCourtFamilies-1771824747.jpg?w=770&resize=770%2C513&quality=80\" alt=\"Catholic priest Father Flavie Villanueva (R) joins hands with relatives of extrajudicial killings of former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte's drug war during the inurnment rites at the "Dambana ng Paghilom" (Shrine of Healing) at a cemetery in Caloocan city, suburban Manila on February 20, 2026.A hearing begins at the International Criminal Court (ICC) on February 23 that will determine whether Duterte will stand trial over at least 76 of those deaths.\" fetchpriority=\"low\"\/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4331428\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A Catholic priest joins hands with the relatives of the victims of extrajudicial killings under former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte\u2019s so-called war on drugs during the inurnment rites at a cemetery in Metro Manila\u2019s Caloocan district, on February 20, 2026 [Ted Aljibe\/AFP]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Luzviminda Siapo, whose 19-year-old son was killed in 2017, said she was encouraged that there is progress in the case against Duterte, whom she described as the \u201cbrains\u201d behind the killings.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI hope other perpetrators will also be brought to justice,\u201d she told Al Jazeera.<\/p>\n<p>ICC prosecutors have charged Duterte with three counts of crimes against humanity, alleging his involvement in at least 76 murders between 2013 and 2018.<\/p>\n<p>The true number of killings during his campaign in the Philippines is thought to be as high as 30,000, and lawyers for the victims have argued that a full trial could encourage many more families to come forward.<\/p>\n<p>The first of the 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.<\/p>\n<p>The second relates to 14 murders of so-called \u201chigh value targets\u201d in 2016 and 2017 when he was president.<\/p>\n<p>The third charge covers 43 murders committed during \u201cclearance\u201d operations of lower-level alleged drug users or pushers across the Philippines between 2016 and 2018.<\/p>\n<p>Duterte denies the charges, his lawyer Nicholas Kaufman told journalists in advance of the hearing.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"duterte-remains-defiant\">Duterte remains defiant<\/h2>\n<p>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\u2019s detention unit at Scheveningen Prison.<\/p>\n<p>He followed his initial hearing three days later via videolink, appearing dazed and frail and barely speaking.<\/p>\n<p>In a letter sent to the court on Tuesday, Duterte remained defiant, saying he does \u201cnot recognise\u201d the jurisdiction of the court and that he is \u201cproud\u201d of his legacy.<\/p>\n<p>Duterte also accused the court of carrying out his \u201ckidnapping\u201d in cooperation with incumbent President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, a former ally and the 2022 running-mate of his daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte.<\/p>\n<p>The Philippines left the ICC in 2019, on Duterte\u2019s instructions,\u00a0but the court has ruled that it still has jurisdiction over alleged crimes committed there between 2011 and 2019.<\/p>\n<p>The defence has appealed the ruling, with a decision still pending.<\/p>\n<p>Duterte, the first Asian former head of state to appear before the ICC, remains hugely popular in the Philippines, where many favoured his tough approach to crime.<\/p>\n<p>Two demonstrations have been registered for Monday in The Hague \u2013 one in support of Duterte and another in support of the victims.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Listen to this article\u00a0|\u00a04 mins info The International Criminal Court (ICC) is set to hold a hearing to determine whether former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte should stand trial for crimes against humanity over his deadly antidrug crackdown. The four-day \u201cconfirmation of charges\u201d hearing, which will start at 09:00 GMT on Monday, will determine whether there […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13131,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13130","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-asia-pacific"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13130","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=13130"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13130\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/13131"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=13130"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=13130"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=13130"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}