In a scenario that is once considered an unimaginable for the head of state who headed the public and brutal killing of thousands of civilians, Rodrigo Deuttri, the former head of the Philippines, appeared in a hearing in the International Criminal Court via a video link on Friday.
The arrest of Mr. Doterti this week on charges of humanity, which came nearly three years after his departure from his post, is a decisive step for the Philippines who were seeking justice for their loved ones.
The 30-minute hearing in The Hague on Friday was procedural-The court officer informed Mr. Dutti of the charges, Judge Ilia Motuk read his rights and set an appointment for a hearing on September 23 to determine the evidence made by the prosecution was sufficient to try the case.
However, the widening accusations against Mr. Doterti emphasized the high risks of the case in the country that he once led.
During the period of Mr. Doterti as the mayor of the city of Davao and the mayor, the officers and guardians shot tens of thousands of people during what was photographed as a drug war, according to rights groups. Activists say that some of the victims were minors, and many did not participate in the drug trade.
Salvador Midaldia, the lawyer for Mr. Duttti, said in the court on Friday that the arrest of Mr. Dutti was a “pure and simple kidnapping” and described it as “the political result.”
Mr. Medialdea added that Mr. Dutete – who can be seen on the video link in a blue suit jacket, a blue tie and sometimes sitting with his eyes closed – was in bad health and that “it is difficult to hear and poor sight.” Speaking in the English language, Mr. Dotrt told the court his birthday and his place of birth.
The lawyer said that Mr. Dutti will apply for a temporary launch for health reasons before the start of the trial, although it was not determined. In his speech, the judge said that she would not ask him to stand, but added that at a later time, the doctor found “completely aware and appropriate” that he could follow the procedures through the video link.
The Philippine authorities arrested Mr. Dutti, 79, on Tuesday at Manila’s main airport after returning from a flight to Hong Kong, days after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant that led to his detention by the police in the Philippines.
He was arrested with the help of Interpol, acting on behalf of the International Criminal Court because the Philippines is no longer a member of the court. On Wednesday, Mr. Doter was transferred to the Netherlands and was transferred to The Hague.
When he was nominated for the presidency before taking office in 2016, Mr. Dutti pledged to request the police and the army to find drug users and merchants to kill them, and he promised to immunity to those who do orders.
Mr. Doterti has long benefited from the culture of impunity. Until Tuesday, everything seemed unprecedented despite taking the general credit for violence on a large scale.
Mr. Duterte camp said that his detention was illegal, on the pretext that the International Criminal Court had no jurisdiction in the Philippines because the country withdrew from the court while he was president.
The judges have spent that the court had a jurisdiction because it was investigating the crimes that occurred while the Philippines were still a member of the International Criminal Court
The prosecution was accused of widespread murder and torture and rape that he says happened between November 1, 2011 and March 16, 2019, when the Philippines officially withdrew from the court.
But Mr. Dutti is likely to remain outside the court if that was not for a period of political turmoil in the Philippines.
When Mr. Deutter’s term ended six years in 2022, Ferdinand R. Marcus Junior, a former son of a dictator. Mr. Marcus ran with the daughter of Mr. Doterti, Sarah Dutti, Vice -President of the country.
This alliance has been broken since then, and the two have fallen amazing. Early of his administration, Mr. Marcos indicated that he would not cooperate with the International Criminal Court, but in late 2023, his government allowed the court investigators to enter the country.
While the supporters of Mr. Dutert gathered at his home in the city of Davao – some lighting candles and repeating his name periodically – dozens of family members of the drug war joined hearing parties in the Philippines.
“The vision of Dutti is facing the International Criminal Court gives us the victims,” ​​said Marilyn Malimban, 51, in a café in the city of Kwazon. She said that her partner was shot by police officers denied as civilians in 2016.
She said, “Doteri ignores weakness,” she said, adding that he did not have the same force for the International Criminal Court as he did in his homeland. “He can act like the king only in the Philippines.”
The International Criminal Court faces various challenges in an attempt to condemn Mr. Duterte. The court – and failed several times – tried to condemn the leaders. Former Ivory Coast, Laurent Gibagbo, was acquitted in 2019 for his role in post -election violence in the country.
To meet the level of crimes against humanity – the charge faced by Mr. Doterti – the prosecution must prove that the violent “war on drug war” was part of a criminal plan led by Mr. Dutus and consisted of “a large -scale and systematic attack” against civilians in the Philippines.
Mrs. Doterti, who was in court in The Hague on Friday, called for the arrest of her father’s political suppression, while Mr. Marcus said that he simply continued the international conference in compliance with the Interpol Memorandum.
Speaking outside the court, she said that Mr. Doterti and his supporters expressed their hope that “they will give us permission to visit the former president.”
Upon approval to arrest Mr. Dutti, Mr. Marcus may try to eliminate Dustertes as a political force without any major violent reaction. (Mrs. Doteri leads opinion polls for the presidential elections in 2028.)
Camel Ilimia and Aie Balagtas see She contributed to the reports of the Philippines.
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