Families of victims of the Philippines’ “war on drugs” welcomed the International Criminal Court’s decision to confirm charges against former president Rodrigo Duterte, calling it a long-awaited step toward justice after years of loss and fear.
The ICC Pre-Trial Chamber on April 23 “unanimously confirmed all the charges… against Rodrigo Roa Duterte and committed him to trial,” finding “substantial grounds to believe that Duterte is responsible for the crimes against humanity of murder and attempted murder.”
For relatives of those killed, the ruling affirms a decade-long struggle for accountability.
“We have long waited for this moment. It’s been nearly ten years since Duterte started implementing his deadly war on drugs. We look forward to seeing him in ICC court,” said Nanay Llore, whose sons were killed in 2017, adding, “This is a win for the Filipino people.”
Rise Up for Life and for Rights described the development as a turning point, with national coordinator Deaconess Rubylin Litao calling it “important legal victories in their long struggle for justice and accountability.”
The group also urged other families to come forward, saying, “It’s natural to be afraid but we can get courage from one another.”
Human Rights Watch said the decision “opens the door to long awaited justice for the families of ‘drug war’ victims and is an important acknowledgment of their suffering,” with senior counsel Maria Elena Vignoli adding that the trial “will send a powerful message… that no one is above the law.”
Prosecutors allege Duterte was involved in at least 76 murders between 2013 and 2018, cases they described as “emblematic” of a broader campaign that left thousands dead.
During hearings, prosecutor Julian Nicholls said Duterte engaged in “decades of murdering his own people… and he claims that he did it all for his country. He doesn’t deny it.”
Duterte’s defense rejected the accusations. Lawyer Nicholas Kaufman said the claim of killings as state policy would be a “complete fiction” and insisted there was “no smoking gun in this case.”
The ICC will now form a trial chamber and set a date for proceedings. Duterte, 81, remains in detention in The Hague after his 2025 arrest.
