The former leader of the Philippines has been charged with crimes against humanity after thousands of civilians were killed during his time in power.
Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte attended a hearing at the International Criminal Court via video link on Friday, something once considered unthinkable for a head of state who oversaw the public and brutal killings of thousands of civilians.
Mr Duterte's arrest this week on charges of crimes against humanity, nearly three years after he left office, is a significant step for Filipinos seeking justice for their loved ones.
The 30-minute hearing in The Hague on Friday was procedural in nature, with a bailiff briefing Mr. Duterte on the charges and Judge Julia Motoc reading him his rights and setting a hearing date for Sept. 23 to determine whether the prosecution's case was sufficient to go to trial.
But the scale of the charges against Mr. Duterte underscores the case's significance to the country he once led.
During Mr. Duterte’s tenure as mayor of Davao City and president, officers and vigilantes gunned down tens of thousands of people in what was billed as a war on drugs, rights groups said. Some of the victims were minors, and many were not involved in the drug trade, activists said.
Salvador Medialdea, Mr. Duterte's lawyer, told the court on Friday that Mr. Duterte's arrest amounted to “a pure and simple kidnapping” and called it a “political settling of scores.”
