Former Philippines President’s ICC Trial

• 22 Mar 2025

Source: TH 

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued an arrest warrant against former Philippines President (Rodrigo Duterte) for alleged crimes against humanity, including extrajudicial killings (2011–2019). 

• Duterte is the first former head of state from Asia to face charges at the ICC. 

International Criminal Court (ICC): 

• About: Established under the 1998 Rome Statute and operational since 2002, the International Criminal Court (ICC) is the first permanent international court to prosecute grave crimes, headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands. 
• Jurisdiction: It prosecutes genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and aggression for crimes committed on or after 1st July 2002. 
• Enforcement & Warrants: The ICC lacks its own enforcement body and relies on global cooperation for arrests, transfers, asset freezes, and sentence enforcement.  
  • Its warrants, binding on member states, may lead to UNSC referral in case of non-compliance, but non-member states are not obligated. 
• Independence: It operates independently of the United Nations (UN) under a separate agreement. 
• Membership: The ICC has 125 member states, with major powers like India, the US, China, Russia, and Israel are non-members. 
• Structure: It comprises 18 judges (9-year terms), an independent Office of the Prosecutor, and key bodies like the Trust Fund for Victims, Detention Centre, and Assembly of States Parties. 

Read More: International Criminal Court (ICC)