Duterte charged with three counts of murder – ICC

Former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte has been charged with three counts of murder by the International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutors on Monday, September 22.

Led by Deputy Prosecutor Mame Mandiaye Niang, Duterte is accused of crimes against humanity and shall face the tribunal involving 49 incidents of murder and attempted murder in his war on drugs during his term as Davao Mayor and President of the Philippines.

“The Prosecution charges the murders and attempted murders below, although the actual scale of victimization during the charged period was significantly greater, as reflected in the widespread nature of the attack,” stated ICC Deputy Niang-signed document.

Count 1 refers during Duterte’s mayor term in Davao being an indirect co-perpetrator of murder crimes against humanity of 19 victims.

“Duterte is individually criminally responsible pursuant to article 25(3)(a) of the Rome Statute for the crimes charged in Counts 1 to 3 as he committed them as an indirect co-perpetrator,” the document read.

Count 2 refers to the period during Duterte’s presidential term, with 14 victims between 2016 and 2017, involving murder as a crime against humanity of ‘high-value targets’ nationwide.

“Some of the victims were listed in the ‘PRRD List’ (referring to the initials of “President Rodrigo Roa Duterte”), with targets categorized by tier according to their assigned ‘value’ (Levels 1 to 5). Police who killed a target on the list could access a covert reward system (which existed outside of the regular formal rewards system) and receive a payment ranging from 50,000 to one million Philippine pesos, depending on the level of the target,” it added.

While Count 3 concerns 45 victims in barangay clearance operations, including murder and attempted murder as crimes against humanity during Duterte’s presidential term, around 2016 and 2018.

“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,” the document read.

Duterte is the first Asian former head of state to be summoned and indicted by the ICC and has been in custody since March 2025.