The International Criminal Court (ICC) has submitted a second batch of evidence comprising 139 items against former President Rodrigo Duterte, who is under investigation for alleged crimes against humanity over his anti-drug campaign.
In a May 5 filing to the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber I, Prosecutor Karim Khan said the latest disclosure was transmitted to Duterte’s defense team on April 30.
This follows an earlier set of evidence submitted in March.
According to Khan, the new evidence is grouped under four categories: contextual elements, modes of liability, killings during Duterte’s tenure as Davao City mayor, and deaths during barangay clearance operations under his presidency.
Gilbert Andres, an ICC-accredited lawyer and counsel for several victims of extrajudicial killings, said on TeleRadyo Serbisyo that the disclosure strengthens the case, pointing to the existence of a state policy behind the killings and a systematic pattern of attacks against civilians.
Duterte, who denies the allegations, is expected to attend a hearing on September 23, where the charges against him will be formally confirmed.
The ICC authorized the reopening of its probe into Duterte’s drug war in early 2023, after finding that domestic mechanisms in the Philippines were insufficient to ensure accountability for the thousands of deaths linked to the campaign.
In response, the Philippine government, under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., has maintained that the ICC no longer has jurisdiction over the country, citing the Philippines withdrawal from the Rome Statute in 2019. However, the court argues it retains jurisdiction over crimes committed while the country was still a member.
