Duterte Indicted By ICC For Murder Of 76 People While He Was Philippine President And Mayor Of Davao

JAKARTA - The International Criminal Court (ICC) has indicted Rodrigo Duterte for involvement in the murder of 76 people while serving as President of the Philippines and previously as mayor of a city in the southern region of the country.

The ICC detailed the murder allegations in three counts. The first count names 19 victims killed while Duterte was mayor of Davao City between 2013 and around 2016.

The second count involves 14 people killed in targeted killings between 2016 and 2017 while Duterte was in office.

The third count names 43 people killed in so-called "clearance operations" between 2016 and 2018.

The redacted indictment was made public on Monday local time after the ICC prosecutor submitted a 15-page indictment to the court on July 4.

In the files, Duterte is accused of ordering and authorizing "acts of violence, including murder, committed against suspected criminals, including suspected drug dealers and users."

Duterte and his lawyers have not yet responded to the charges.

Similar allegations were leveled against Duterte during his time as President of the Philippines, which he later denied. At that time, Duterte was accused of authorizing extrajudicial killings, despite openly threatening drug suspects with the death penalty and encouraging police to open fire if suspects violently resisted arrest and threatened law enforcement.

Duterte was arrested by Philippine authorities in March on a warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC). He is currently being held at an ICC facility in the Netherlands.

Duterte's supporters have criticized the government of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Duterte's political rival, for arresting and handing Duterte over to a court whose jurisdiction his supporters dispute.