Duterte is accused of crimes against humanity stemming from his “war on drugs.”
After taking office in 2016, Duterte launched a massive anti-drug campaign, which official data indicates has resulted in over 6,000 deaths, but human rights groups suggest the actual death toll may be as high as 30,000. In 2018, the International Criminal Court (ICC) began investigating Duterte’s anti-drug campaign, and in 2019, the Philippines announced its withdrawal from the ICC. On March 11, 2025, Duterte was arrested on an ICC warrant after landing at Manila International Airport and taken to The Hague, Netherlands, to stand trial.
On September 22, the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court filed an indictment against Duterte, accusing him of three counts of crimes against humanity involving at least 76 murders. Duterte is currently being held at the International Criminal Court Detention Center in The Hague, and the trial hearing originally scheduled for September 23 was postponed to assess his physical condition.
