ISTANBUL, Feb 15 (Bernama-Anadolu) -- The International Criminal Court (ICC) has publicly identified two Philippines’ senators and seven former senior government and police officials as co-perpetrators in the crimes against humanity case against former President Rodrigo Duterte, Anadolu Ajansi (AA) reported, citing media reports on Sunday.
The names of Sens. Ronald Dela Rosa and Bong Go, and other former senior officials, appeared in a lesser-redacted version Friday of the “Document Containing the Charges” filed by the Office of the Prosecutor, the Manila Times reported.
Other co-perpetrators named in the 16-page report include three former Philippine National Police chiefs Oscar Albayalde, Camilo Cascolan and Vicente Danao; former Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II; former National Bureau of Investigation Director Dante Gierran; and former Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency Director Isidro Lapena.
The document accused Duterte of indirect co-perpetration, ordering and aiding, and abetting in the murders of at least 78 people as part of his “war on drugs” between 2011 and 2019, first as mayor of Davao City and later as president.
The report said Duterte exercised command over an organised structure of police officers and civilian hitmen responsible for at least 76 murders and two attempted murders.
The number of victims ran into the hundreds in Davao and thousands nationwide, it said.
Prosecutors alleged that from 2011 to 2019, Duterte and several senior law enforcement and government officials shared a “common plan” to “neutralise” alleged criminals through violent means, particularly murder.
The campaign, according to the charges, led to a “widespread and systematic attack against the civilian population and was carried out pursuant to a state policy.”
The report also cited the killing of 17-year-old Kian delos Santos in Caloocan, which drew international outrage and became a symbol of alleged extra-judicial killings under the so-called drug war.
The redacted document will serve as the basis for the next stage of proceedings scheduled to begin Feb 23, in which ICC judges will determine whether the charges are sufficient to move the case to trial.
Duterte has been in the ICC’s detention centre in The Hague since his arrest in Manila in March 2025.
If the charges are confirmed, the case will be transferred to a Trial Chamber for the subsequent phase of proceedings.
In a related development, the Pre-Trial Chamber of the ICC has allowed 500 new applicants to participate as victims in the case against Duterte, bringing the number of participating victims to more than 539.
-- BERNAMA-ANADOLU
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