ADVERTISEMENT
The International Criminal Court (ICC) case against Rodrigo Roa Duterte tracks the fight for justice by the families of the ‘war on drugs’ victims, and how Duterte has attempted to evade accountability.
The ICC affirmed jurisdiction over alleged crimes against humanity committed during Duterte’s drug war. In a unanimous ruling on October 23, 2025, the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber said that it can act on offenses “committed on the territory of the Philippines while it was a state party” from November 1, 2011 to March 16, 2019.
In its October 23, 2025 decision, the PTC held that the interpretation of Article 127, which outlines the withdrawal of a State Party from the Rome Statute, must be consistent with the overall object and purpose of the Statute—to "put an end to impunity and ensure that the most serious crimes do not go unpunished.”
"A State shall not be discharged, by reason of its withdrawal, from the obligations arising from this Statute while it was a Party to the Statute, including any financial obligations which may have accrued," the Article 127 read.
MANILA – The recent decision of the International Criminal Court denying Rodrigo Duterte’s motion for interim release is a beam of hope for the families left behind by the so-called “war on drugs.” “This is what we have always been anticipating, and at the same...
Ex-President Duterte spends his first birthday in an ICC jail. We wish he gets the justice he deserves.
Relatives of missing activists who have disappeared call for the surfacing of their missing loved ones amid the calls of supporters as well as family members of former president Rodrigo Duterte to bring him back to the Philippines.
Former President Rodrigo Duterte is finally given a chance to be true to his word: that he will be responsible for the murder of thousands in his "war on drugs."
Neri Colmenares, NUPL chairperson, believes that the case against Duterte is strong. “First, he publicly ordered the killings... Second, he refuses to be investigated. Third, the government does not submit evidence to the ICC.”
A community of readers and supporters that help us sustain our operations through microdonations for as low as $1.