Prosecutors at the International Criminal Court (ICC) have formally filed charges against former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte for crimes against humanity, accusing him of orchestrating killings under a state policy during his term.

In a 15-page public redacted filing, or the Document Containing the Charges (DCC), released on September 22, prosecutors hold Duterte individually responsible for murder and attempted murder committed between November 2011 and March 2019, first as mayor of Davao City and later as president.

According to the prosecutors, Duterte “designed and disseminated the policy to ‘neutralise’ alleged criminals” through organized violence, expanding the operations from Davao to a nationwide campaign after he took office in 2016.

“The attack comprised multiple acts…including but not limited to the 76 murders charged in this DCC, as well as at least hundreds of other murders during the Mayoral period, [and] thousands of other murders in the Presidential period,” the filing stated.

The charges cover three main counts:

  • Count 1 involves 19 murders attributed to the Davao Death Squad (DDS) between 2013 and 2016 while Duterte was mayor.
  • Count 2 concerns 14 killings of so-called “high-value targets” across the Philippines from 2016 to 2017. Victims were listed on the “PRRD List,” a roster of alleged drug personalities Duterte publicly named.
  • Count 3 encompasses 45 murders and attempted murders during barangay-level police clearance operations nationwide from 2016 to 2018.

In addition, prosecutors allege Duterte exercised control over both the DDS in Davao and a wider “National Network” of police officers, anti-drug agencies, prison officials, and hired hitmen during his presidency. 

He is accused of ordering, inducing, or aiding killings by authorizing operations, providing weapons and resources, appointing key officials, and offering cash rewards to law enforcers.

The prosecution argued that the killings were part of a “widespread and systematic attack against the civilian population,” carried out as state policy. 

Moreover, it said perpetrators acted under a structure that ensured “automatic compliance” and that dissenters risked being killed themselves.

The filing added that Duterte also allegedly shielded perpetrators from investigation, “creating and maintaining a system in which perpetrators knew they would be protected, including through promises of immunity.”

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