Dutete appears in court in The Hague via video after arrest

In a scenario that is once considered an unimaginable for the head of state who headed the public and brutal killing of thousands of civilians, Rodrigo Deuttri, the former head of the Philippines, appeared in a hearing in the International Criminal Court via a video link on Friday.

The arrest of Mr. Doterti this week on charges of humanity, which came nearly three years after his departure from his post, is a decisive step for the Philippines who were seeking justice for their loved ones.

The 30-minute hearing on Friday was procedural-the court officer informed Mr. Dutti of charges, and Judge Ilia Motuk read his rights and put an appointment for his next session on September 23-but the accusations expanded emphasized the high bets of the case against the former leader.

The rights groups said that the time that Mr. Doterti, as the mayor of Davao, the president, the officers and the guard, called tens of thousands of people. Some of the victims were from the palace, and many were Do not participate in the drug tradeActivists say.

Salvador Midaldia, the lawyer for Mr. Duttti, said in the court on Friday that the arrest of Mr. Dutti was a “pure and simple kidnapping” and described it as “the political result.”

Mr. Medialdea added that Mr. Dutete – who can be seen on the video link in a blue suit jacket, a blue tie and sometimes sitting with his eyes closed – was in bad health and that “it is difficult to hear and poor sight.” Speaking in the English language, Mr. Dotrt told the court his birthday and his place of birth.

Philippine authorities Mr. Dotti was arrested79, on Tuesday at the main Manila Airport after returning from a flight to Hong Kong, days after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant.

He was arrested with the help of Interpol, acting on behalf of the International Criminal Court because the Philippines is no longer a member of the court. On Wednesday, Mr. Doter was transferred to the Netherlands and was transferred to The Hague.

When he nominated for the presidency before taking office in 2016, Mr. Deutti Pledge Police and the army to find drug users and merchants in order to kill them, and promised immunity for those who do orders.

Mr. Doterti has long benefited from the culture of impunity. Until Tuesday, everything seemed unprecedented despite taking the general credit for violence on a large scale.

Mr. Duterte camp said that his detention was illegal, on the pretext that the International Criminal Court had no jurisdiction in the Philippines because the country withdrew from the court while he was president.

The judges have spent that the court had a jurisdiction because it was investigating the crimes that occurred while the Philippines were still a member of the International Criminal Court

The prosecution was accused of widespread murder and torture and rape that he says happened between November 1, 2011 and March 16, 2019, when the Philippines officially withdrew from the court.

The Philippines is still a member of the Interpol, the International Police Organization, which can seek arrests on behalf of the International Criminal Court that helped arrest Mr. Dutti this week.

But Mr. Dutti is likely to remain outside the court if that was not for a period of political turmoil in the Philippines.

When Mr. Deutter’s term ended six years in 2022, it was Behind him Ferdinand R. Marcus Junior.Ibn Dictator former. Mr. Marcus ran with the daughter of Mr. Doterti, Sarah Dutti, Vice -President of the country.

This alliance has been broken since then, and the two You had an amazing fall. Early of his administration, Mr. Marcos indicated that he would not cooperate with the International Criminal Court, but in late 2023, his government allowed the court investigators to enter the country.

The International Criminal Court faces a great challenge in an attempt to condemn Mr. Dutete. The court – and failed several times – tried to condemn the leaders. Former Ivory Coast, Laurent Gibagbo, was acquitted in 2019 for his role in post -election violence in the country.

To meet the level of crimes against humanity – the charge faced by Mr. Doterti – the prosecution must prove that the violent “war on drug war” was part of a criminal plan led by Mr. Dutus and consisted of “a large -scale and systematic attack” against civilians in the Philippines.

Mrs. Doterti, who was in The Hague on Friday, called for the arrest of her father’s political suppression, while Mr. Marcus said that he simply followed the international conference in compliance with the Interpol Memorandum.

Speaking outside the court, she said that Mr. Doterti and his supporters expressed their expectations that “they will give us permission to visit the former president,” according to Associated Press, and that “they will allow our request to transfer the initial appearance.”

Upon approval to arrest Mr. Dutti, Mr. Marcus may try to eliminate Dustertes as a political force without any major violent reaction. (Mrs. Doteri leads opinion polls for the presidential elections in 2028.)

The hearing set by the judge will be used on September 23 to determine whether the evidence of the claim is sufficient to take the case to the trial. If Mr. Doterti is tried, the case may take years.