The prosecution in the International Criminal Court (ICC) case against former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has formally submitted 139 pieces of evidence, marking a major development in the investigation of alleged crimes against humanity related to the controversial “war on drugs.”
According to a document dated May 5, ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan submitted the evidence to the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber I on April 30. The evidence is organized into four disclosure packages: contextual elements, modes of liability, killings during Duterte’s term as Davao City mayor, and murders committed under barangay clearance operations during his presidency.
The former president is currently under ICC custody in The Hague, Netherlands, as he awaits the next stage of the case. Duterte made his first appearance before the tribunal via video link on March 14, 2025. His confirmation of charges hearing is scheduled for September 23, 2025.
Government data claims that around 6,200 individuals were killed during Duterte’s anti-drug campaign. However, human rights groups assert the actual number could be as high as 30,000, citing numerous unreported and undocumented killings that occurred during police operations.
Prosecutor Khan previously announced that the prosecution team is preparing a comprehensive presentation for the upcoming confirmation hearing, which includes nearly 9,000 pages of documents, 16 hours of audio and video footage, and testimony from two witnesses.
In a related development, the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber rejected an appeal from Duterte’s legal team seeking the removal of two judges from the case. In a four-page decision dated May 6, Presiding Judge Iulia Antonella Motoc clarified that only judges themselves can request to be excused from proceedings, and parties to the case have no right to ask for their disqualification without a proper procedure preemptively.
“The possibility for that person to invite or request judges to seek excusal before the Presidency is thus not contemplated in the statutory texts,” the decision read, affirming the court’s commitment to due process and legal integrity.
With mounting evidence and legal hurdles cleared, the ICC case against Duterte moves forward, drawing global attention to the former leader’s controversial anti-drug policies and the search for justice by victims and human rights advocates.