Duterte refuses to attend ICC pre-trial hearing, as former Philippine leader's drug war' case begins

"Duterte, 80, who was arrested in Manila and flown to The Hague last year, is accused of crimes against humanity over an anti-drugs crackdown in which thousands of people were killed. The ICC will begin a pre-trial hearing to confirm the charges against him, even though Duterte announced last week that he would not appear, saying he is old, tired and frail and experiencing memory loss."

"He should face everything he did to us and to the families of the [other] victims, said Sarah Celiz, 61, whose two sons Almon and Dicklie were killed in separate incidents in 2017. Duterte's supporters have tried to drum up sympathy for the former leader, citing his age and claims that he is unwell. He never showed us any mercy, responded Celiz, who for years has campaigned for Duterte to be tried. My son begged for mercy, but he showed none."

"Judges granted a request by Duterte's defence to waive his right to attend this week's hearings, but said the reasons given were speculative. The court ruled last month that Duterte was fit to attend hearings, rejecting claims by his defence team that he cannot participate due to cognitive impairment in multiple domains. Llore Pasco, whose two sons Crisanto and Juan Carlos were killed in 2017 during the anti-drug operations, said in a statement last week that Duterte was just a coward desperate to escape accountability."

Rodrigo Duterte, 80, was arrested in Manila and flown to The Hague to face allegations of crimes against humanity stemming from an anti-drugs crackdown that killed thousands. The ICC will hold a pre-trial hearing to confirm charges despite Duterte's announcement that he will not attend, citing age, frailty and memory loss, and rejecting the court's jurisdiction and claims he oversaw extrajudicial killings. Victims' families demand accountability and call Duterte a coward. Judges granted a defence request to waive attendance but described the reasons as speculative and previously ruled he was fit to appear. The hearing will assess whether substantial grounds exist to believe the alleged crimes occurred.

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