By Carlito Pablo
Prosecutors with the International Criminal Court (ICC) have charged former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte with crimes against humanity.
The charge sheet, which was made public on September 22, 2025, also lists scores of Duterte’s alleged co-perpetrators in connection with his bloody war on drugs.
However, the document was heavily redacted and the names of Duterte’s co-perpetrators were concealed.
In addition to individuals, the charge sheet also included “other members of the PNP and high-ranking government officials”. PNP stands for Philippine National Police.
The former president was charged with three counts of crimes against humanity, alleging his involvement in at least 76 murders.
The first count laid relates to his alleged involvement in the killings of 19 people in Davao City between 2013 and 2016 while he was mayor of the southern Philippine city.
The other two charges relate to times when he was serving as president of the Philippines, between 2016 and 2022.
The second count involves murders of 14 “high-value targets” across the country, and the third relates to the murder and attempted murder of 45 people in village clearance operations.
The charge sheet signed by ICC deputy prosecutor Mame Mandiaye Niang alleged that Duterte was “individually criminally responsible … for the crimes charged … as he committed them as an indirect coperpetrator”.
“At least between 1 November 2011 and 16 March 2019, DUTERTE and his coperpetrators shared a common plan or agreement to ‘neutralise’ alleged criminals in the Philippines (including those perceived or alleged to be associated with drug use, sale or production) through violent crimes including murder (“Common Plan”),” the document stated.
As mayor, Duterte and his co-accused “used police from Davao City and non-police hitmen (together, the DDS) to kill alleged criminals”. DDS stands for the Davao Death Squad.
“DUTERTE and his Co-Perpetrators used the DDS, including its low-level members, as
tools to commit the crimes encompassed by the Common Plan. Those who did not follow
orders risked being killed and were disposed of when perceived as opposing or posing a threat
to the Common Plan, however insignificant.”
“During DUTERTE’s presidential campaign and the transition period after he was elected,
the Co-Perpetrators agreed to expand the Common Plan to ‘neutralise’ alleged criminals
through violent crimes including murder across the Philippines,” the charge sheet stated.
The document stated that when Duterte became president on June 30, 2016, he had control over the PNP, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and “all other agencies implementing the Common Plan nationwide”.
“Immediately after his inauguration, DUTERTE appointed Co-Perpetrators from Davao City to high-level national positions which allowed them to exercise control over the physical perpetrators …,” the charge sheet related.
“Together, DUTERTE and his Co-Perpetrators established a network of perpetrators comprising
State actors such as law enforcement officers (including personnel from the PNP, PDEA, the
NBI and the Bureau of Corrections (“BuCor”)), non-police assets and hitmen (together, “the
National Network”), to operate in a similar manner as the DDS in conducting operations to kill
alleged criminals in accordance with the Common Plan.” NBI stands for National Bureau of Investigation.
The 80-year-old Duterte is the first Asian former head of state to be indicted by the ICC. He was flown to The Hague in March 2025 and has been in the ICC’s custody since that time.
Duterte’s lawyer has said that the former Philippine president is not able to stand trial due to poor health.
In May 2025, Duterte was again elected mayor of Davao, despite being in prison in The Hague. His son Sebastian is the acting mayor of the city.
An interfaith movement in Canada says that the prosecution of Duterte before the ICC is a “historic opportunity to affirm the primacy of human rights and the rule of law”.
The social justice coalition called KAIROS: Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives or simply KAIROS made the statement in anticipation of a hearing by the ICC to confirm charges against Duterte.
“KAIROS stands with faith communities, human rights and ecumenical partners in the Philippines, and with the International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP), of which we are a member, to ensure that victims and their families are not silenced,” the movement said in a statement on September 3, 2025.
The ICC hearing was originally scheduled to start on September 23 to establish whether the trial of Duterte will proceed.
However, on September 8, the ICC moved to postpone the hearing until it determines that Duterte is fit to follow proceedings in his case.
ReyFort Media 
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