Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is seen on a screen in the courtroom during his first appearance before the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague on March 14, 2025. (Photo by Peter Dejong / POOL / AFP)
The Hague: Former Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte failed to show in person at the International Criminal Court on Friday at the opening of his crimes against humanity hearing over his deadly crackdown on narcotics.
The 79-year-old, the first ex-Asian head of state to face charges at the ICC, was following by videolink during a short hearing to inform him of the crimes he is alleged to have committed, as well as his rights as a defendant.
Sounding frail and wearing a blue suit and tie, he spoke briefly to confirm his name and date of birth. The presiding judge allowed him to follow proceedings in absentia due to his long flight to The Hague.
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 thousands.
In the prosecutor's application for his arrest, he said Duterte's alleged crimes were "part of a widespread and systematic attack directed against the civilian population in the Philippines."
Anti-Duterte protestors rally outside of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands, on March 14, 2025. (Photo by Nicolas Tucat / AFP)
"Potentially tens of thousands of killings were perpetrated," the prosecutor alleged of the campaign that targeted mostly poor men, often without proof they were linked to drugs.
Victims' families have welcomed the trial as a chance to get justice, while Duterte supporters believe he was "kidnapped" and sent to The Hague amid a spectacular fall-out with the ruling Marcos family.
A group of family members, lawyers and human rights activists was set to gather in Manila on Friday night to watch a livestream of the ICC hearing, said organisers Rise Up and the Duterte Accountability Campaign Network.
According to international law experts, his whirlwind arrest and surrender to the ICC offers a welcome boon to the embattled court which is being attacked from all sides and sanctioned by the United States.
"I see the arrest and handing over of Duterte as a gift at an important moment in time," Willem van Genugten, Professor of International Law at Tilburg University in The Netherlands, told AFP.
A supporter holds a portrait of former Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte in front of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands, on March 14, 2025. (Photo by Nicolas Tucat / ANP / AFP)
The hearing is due to take place at 2:00 pm local time (1300 GMT) at the hulking glass headquarters of the ICC based in The Hague. Pro- and anti-Duterte protests are expected outside.
Earlier Friday, his daughter Sara Duterte, vice president of the Philippines, said she had submitted a last-minute bid to get the hearing moved.
"We are praying and hoping that the court will grant our request to move the initial appearance just so that we can properly sit down with the former president and discuss the legal strategies since we haven't talked to him yet," she told AFP outside the court.
As he landed in The Hague, the former leader 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."
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.
Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan hailed Duterte's arrest as a key moment for victims and international justice as a whole.
