Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte appeared in person at the International Criminal Court in The Hague on Wednesday, marking the first time he has been seen publicly since his arrest in Manila 18 months ago.
The 81-year-old, dressed in a dark suit and white shirt, remained silent throughout the session. When proceedings ended, he waved to family members seated in the public gallery.
Duterte is charged with crimes against humanity in connection with killings carried out during his "war on drugs." Prosecutors accuse him of creating, funding and arming death squads that targeted drug users and dealers. He denies the charges, saying he only ordered police to act in self-defence as part of his anti-drug campaign.
The session on Wednesday covered his health, evidence disclosure and the timetable for the trial, which is scheduled to open on 30 November. Duterte is the first former head of state from Asia to face trial at the ICC.
Until Wednesday, Duterte had appeared before the court by video link and had skipped multiple hearings on medical grounds. His lawyers have argued that cognitive decline has left him unfit to participate in proceedings.
In a filing submitted on Tuesday, the defence said serious memory loss leaves him unable to absorb new information or reliably recall the past. Citing an unpublished report by three court-appointed medical experts, lawyers said Duterte believes the year is 2007 or 2008, believes he is 84 or 85 years old, and was unable to name the sitting president of the United States.
In January, however, judges ruled he was healthy enough to stand trial and ordered that he be present for proceedings. Judges are still deliberating on the question of his fitness and have ordered a medical assessment by three specialists. That assessment has not been made public.
The charges cover Duterte's alleged role in killings spanning from 2011, when he was mayor of the southern city of Davao, through to 2019. The ICC is examining killings from 1 November 2011 until 16 March 2019, the date on which Duterte withdrew the Philippines' membership from the court. The specific charges relate to at least 76 murders between 2013 and 2018, during his time as Davao mayor, and continuing into his presidency from 2016 to 2022.
Philippine police say approximately 6,200 suspects were killed in anti-drug operations. Rights groups and ICC prosecutors put the overall death toll as high as 30,000.
"Decades of murdering his own people, murdering the children of the Philippines, and he claims that he did it all for his country. He doesn't deny it," said Julian Nicholls, summing up for the prosecution. "His promise was to kill thousands, and he did."
Relatives of those killed during the anti-drug campaign watched proceedings via a livestream in Manila.
Llore Pasco, who lost two sons, said: "We're happy that he has finally appeared and that he looks OK. In fact, he looks like he has put on weight."
Randy Delos Santos, whose teenage nephew was killed by police in 2017, said he was glad the former president was able to attend. "Seeing that he is physically fit, we believe this could be the start of a process that will finally bring us, the victims, the justice we have been waiting for," he said.
Lawyers representing other victims have argued that a full trial could encourage more families to come forward.
Duterte had announced the Philippines' withdrawal from the ICC in 2018, after the court opened a preliminary investigation into his conduct. Judges last year refused to dismiss the case on those grounds.
