Camille Naredo

Families of extrajudicial killing victims gather at the University of the Philippines Diliman to watch the International Criminal Court pre-trial proceedings in The Hague involving the crimes against humanity case against former President Rodrigo Duterte.  Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News

Article (news)

EJK- ICC

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/177193329880220260223-icc-duterte-victim-families-up-MT10.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Families of extrajudicial killing victims gather at the University of the Philippines Diliman to watch the International Criminal Court pre-trial proceedings in The Hague involving the crimes against humanity case against former President Rodrigo Duterte.  Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Families of extrajudicial killing victims gather at the University of the Philippines Diliman to watch the International Criminal Court pre-trial proceedings in The Hague involving the crimes against humanity case against former President Rodrigo Duterte.  <em>Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News</em></span></span></span></div><p>THE HAGUE, Netherlands (<strong>UPDATED</strong>) -- Former Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte personally drew up &quot;death lists&quot; and boasted about murders committed during his &quot;war on drugs&quot;, an International Criminal Court prosecutor alleged Tuesday at a crimes against humanity hearing.</p><p>On day two of proceedings against Duterte, ICC prosecutor Edward Jeremy laid out searing testimony including allegations that children had their heads wrapped in packing tape and were strangled to death.</p><p>&quot;As president, Duterte publicly named persons he alleged were involved in drugs, and many of those would end up as victims in his so-called war on drugs,&quot; Jeremy said.</p><p>The &quot;Duterte list&quot; was &quot;basically a death list&quot;, Jeremy cited a witness as saying, showing a video of Duterte himself saying: &quot;I am the sole person responsible for it all.&quot;</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/2/24/icc-prosecutor-explains-roles-of-duterte-s-alleged-co-perpetrators-2106">READ: ICC prosecutor explains roles of Duterte&#x27;s alleged &#x27;co-perpetrators&#x27;</a></div><p>Duterte faces three ICC counts of crimes against humanity, with prosecutors alleging his involvement in at least 76 murders between 2013 and 2018.</p><p>Prosecutors say this is a &quot;mere fraction&quot; of the thousands believed killed in his &quot;war on drugs&quot; as mayor of Davao City and then president.</p><p>&quot;As witnesses stated, the poor were often targeted, because they were the ones least likely to file complaints against the police,&quot; said Jeremy.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>- &#x27;The bodies pile up&#x27; -</strong></div><p>Jeremy played a clip of Duterte joking about &quot;extrajudicial killings&quot; during a speech.</p><p>&quot;And in this opulent, gilded, presentation room, the officials laugh along with their president while he boasts about his skills in extrajudicial killing,&quot; said Jeremy.</p><p>&quot;And outside on the streets of the Philippines, the bodies pile up.&quot;</p><p>Jeremy alleged that almost 1,500 people had already been killed at the time of this video.</p><p>The prosecutor said that on two occasions, children aged around 14 or 15 were taken into custody.</p><p>&quot;On each occasion, the police wrapped the child&#x27;s head in packing tape. So no one could hear them scream. And then strangled the child to death with wire,&quot; said Jeremy.</p><p>&quot;It&#x27;s difficult to imagine a more terrifying end to two lives that had barely even begun. And these murdered children were then sold to funeral homes.&quot;</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/2/24/icc-prosecution-victims-counsels-submit-merits-on-day-2-of-duterte-pre-trial-1657">READ: ICC prosecutor cites &#x27;insider witness,&#x27; says &#x27;neutralize&#x27; on Dela Rosa&#x27;s 2016 PNP memo meant to &#x27;kill&#x27;</a></div><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/2/24/icc-prosecution-highlights-kian-delos-santos-case-in-duterte-s-confirmation-of-charges-hearing-1906">READ: ICC prosecution highlights Kian delos Santos case in Duterte&#x27;s confirmation of charges hearing</a></div><p>The week-long ICC proceedings are not a trial but a &quot;confirmation of charges&quot; hearing, enabling judges to weigh whether to move ahead with a trial.</p><p>Another prosecutor, Robynne Croft, described the alleged crimes as a &quot;widespread and systematic attack&quot; on the people of the Philippines.</p><p>The killings were &quot;highly organized, planned and coordinated&quot; and without Duterte&#x27;s &quot;essential contribution&quot;, would not have occurred, Croft alleged.</p><p>Duterte, 80, is not in court after exercising his right not to appear.</p><p>His defense team says he is weak and in cognitive decline. The prosecution and victims counter that he is healthy but does not want to face the loved-ones of victims.</p><p>The court passed him fit to attend but granted his right to stay away.</p><p>Once the hearings wrap up Friday, the court will take up to 60 days to decide whether to proceed to a full trial, usually in a written judgement.</p><p>A lawyer for the victims, Paolina Massidda, said loved-ones of those killed &quot;have waited years for this moment.&quot;</p><p>Addressing the three-judge panel, Massidda said: &quot;Today, the victims stand before you with the hope that justice long denied may finally be within reach. This court is their last refuge.&quot;</p><p>&quot;For the victims, the confirmation of charges is not merely a legal step. It is a recognition that their loved ones mattered. It is an acknowledgement that what happened to them was wrong,&quot; she added.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/2/24/victims-counsel-calls-for-confirmation-of-charges-vs-duterte-this-court-is-their-last-refuge-2321">READ: Victims&#x27; counsel calls for confirmation of charges vs. Duterte</a></div><p>Duterte&#x27;s defense lawyer, Nicholas Kaufman, on Monday said his client &quot;maintained his innocence absolutely&quot;.</p><p>He argued that while Duterte used &quot;bluster and hyperbole&quot; in his speeches, he also frequently ordered authorities only to shoot in self-defense.</p><p>Kaufman will address the court on Thursday.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO:</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oj3nI1KSFBA?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>Former Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte personally drew up "death lists" and boasted about murders committed during his "war on drugs", an International Criminal Court prosecutor alleged Tuesday at a crimes against humanity hearing.</p>

Former Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte personally drew up "death lists" and boasted about murders committed during his "war on drugs", an International Criminal Court prosecutor alleged Tuesday at a crimes against humanity hearing.

Duterte drew up 'death lists', boasted about murders: ICC prosecutor

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Duterte drew up 'death lists', boasted about murders: ICC prosecutor

Richard Carter,

Agence France-Presse

Published February 24, 2026 07:42 PM PHT

|

Updated February 25, 2026 08:17 AM PHT

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Duterte ICC

ICC

Rodrigo Duterte

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war on drugs

crime against humanity

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