Former Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte was “kidnapped” before being taken to The Hague to face accusations of murder and is too sick to give evidence, his lawyer told the judges of the International Criminal Court in his initial appearance on Friday.
Duterte, who arrived in the Netherlands on a flight from Manila on Wednesday after being arrested by a CPI order for charges of crimes against humanity, sounded fragile when he spoke through a video link of a detention unit, confirming his name and date of birth for the court.
Defensor lawyer Salvador Mediadoa said that Duterte was too sick to say more, than his arrest and transfer to the Netherlands was “pure and simple kidnapping” and that his client suffered from “debilitating” medical problems.
The former leader’s daughter, Sara Duterte, the current vice president of the Philippines, observed the procedures of the public gallery.
Judge President Iulia Antoanella Motoc replied that the Court doctor, who examined Duterte upon arrival, was of the opinion that he was “completely conscious and in form.” He added that Duterte and his lawyers could pose problems about their transfer to the court and their health at a later stage in the process.
Prosecutors accused the 79 -year -old man of carrying out a systematic attack against the civilian population during his time in office.
Thousands of supposed traffickers and drug users were killed during a repression, when the death squads that he allegedly created and armed carried out generalized extrajudicial murders.
“For victims of the war on drugs, this is the first step to achieve justice,” said the lawyer who represents the families of drug -related murders in the Philippines, Gilbert Andrés, outside the Court.
Duterte arrived at Rotterdam airport on a rented plane on Wednesday and was transferred to a detention unit on the Dutch coast along the road from the CPI building.
In a video message on social networks, he assumed the responsibility of his actions. During the initial appearance, the judge summed up the accusations against Duterte, who was not asked to be declared.
Duterte, who directed the Philippines from 2016 to 2022, will be the first former Asian head of state to be tried in the ICC, a last resort court created more than two decades ago to process people for war crimes, crimes against humanity, aggression and genocide.
Duterte has said that he suffers a series of ailments, including a chronic neuromuscular disorder, back problems, migraines and a condition that can cause blockages in blood vessels.
The surrender of Duterte to the Court marks a great victory for the chief prosecutor Karim Khan, who faces US sanctions for his arrest warrant against Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
At the end of the hearing, the judges established a confirmation of the hearing of charges to begin on September 23, when prosecutors may present part of their evidence and the judges decide what positions they can be in the accusation. A trial would not be expected to begin until the beginning of 2026.
