Rodrigo Duterte Hearing LIVE Day 4 | ICC Hearing Ex-Philippine President's Case| Duterte News |

Rodrigo Duterte Hearing LIVE Day 2 | ICC Hearing Ex-Philippine President's Case| Duterte News | CNBC TV18
The International Criminal Court is holding a crucial hearing to decide whether former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte should stand trial for alleged crimes against humanity linked to his controversial “war on drugs.”
Prosecutors at the International Criminal Court told judges on Monday that former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte encouraged death squads to carry out extrajudicial killings using fear and financial rewards.
The court in The Hague is holding pretrial hearings for the ex-leader, who is facing three counts of crimes against humanity for deadly anti-drugs crackdowns he oversaw while in office.
According to prosecutors, police and hit squad members carried out dozens of murders at Duterte's behest, motivated by the promise of money or to avoid becoming targets themselves. “For some, killing reached the level of a perverse form of competition,” deputy prosecutor Mame Mandiaye Niang said in his opening statement.
Duterte “stands behind his legacy resolutely, and he maintains his innocence absolutely,” lead defense lawyer Nick Kaufman told the three-judge panel. According to Kaufman, the prosecution “cherry-picked” examples of Duterte “bombastic rhetoric," and his client's words were never intended to incite violence.
Duterte, 80, was not present in the courtroom, having waived his right to appear. Last month, judges found he was fit to stand trial, after postponing an earlier hearing over concerns about his health.
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