Philippines senators named 'co-perpetrators' in Duterte ICC case
Two sitting Philippine senators have been identified as "co-perpetrators" in former president Rodrigo Duterte's crimes against humanity trial at the International Criminal Court, documents released by prosecutors show. Senators Ronald Dela Rosa and Christopher Go are among eight current and former officials named in a document dated February 13 and posted to the court's website. ICC prosecutors have charged Duterte with three counts of crimes against humanity, alleging his involvement in at least 76 murders as part of his "war on drugs".
"Duterte and his co-perpetrators shared a common plan or agreement to 'neutralise' alleged criminals in the Philippines (including those perceived or alleged to be associated with drug use, sale or production) through violent crimes including murder," the prosecution document reads. Dela Rosa, the former national police chief and enforcer of Duterte's drug war, has previously said he believed he faced potential arrest and has not been seen publicly in months.
Go, re-elected in May in a landslide victory, was a key lieutenant of Duterte both during the latter's term as mayor of southern Davao City and while president. A representative of Dela Rosa said they had not yet seen the document. Calls to Go were unreturned. It was not immediately clear if any of the men named in the prosecution document will face charges in court. Duterte is facing a four-day "confirmation of charges" hearing starting February 23, where judges decide whether the prosecution's allegations are strong enough to proceed to trial.
Judges have rejected arguments that the 80-year-old, who was arrested in March last year and transferred to the Netherlands the same day, was unfit to stand trial. Go and Dela Rosa have been named as co-perpetrators in acts that took place both while Duterte was mayor and later as president. Former Philippine justice secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II, who served as lawyer for Duterte in cases involving the so-called Davao Death Squad, is also among the eight men named.
The first of three counts against Duterte concerns his alleged involvement as a co-perpetrator in 19 murders carried out between 2013 and 2016 while he was mayor of Davao City. The second relates to 14 murders of so-called "High Value Targets" in 2016 and 2017 when Duterte was president. The third charge covers 43 murders committed during "clearance" operations of lower-level alleged drug users or pushers. These took place across the Philippines between 2016 and 2018, the prosecution alleged.
