Philippines’ ex-president Rodrigo Duterte to face trial for crimes against humanity
ICC judges say there are substantial grounds to believe Duterte guided anti-drugs crackdown that killed thousands
The former president of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, will face trial at the international criminal court (ICC) after judges unanimously confirmed charges of crimes against humanity over his “war on drugs”.
Pre-trial judges concluded on Thursday that there were substantial grounds to believe Duterte was responsible for the crimes against humanity of murder and attempted murder in relation to anti-drugs crackdowns that led to the killing of thousands of people.
It is alleged that such crimes were committed as part of a “widespread and systematic attack” against the civilian population during Duterte’s presidency, which began in 2016, and his earlier term as mayor of the southern city of Davao.
Duterte, 80, who was arrested in Manila last year and flown to The Hague, has denied charges against him. The date of the trial has not yet been set. Rise Up for Life and for Rights, which represents families of the victims of drugs-related killings, said relatives were elated to hear the court decision.
“We have long waited for this moment. It’s been nearly 10 years since Duterte started implementing his deadly ‘war on drugs’. We look forward to seeing him in ICC court,” said Nanay Llore, whose sons were killed in May 2017.
Today In History April 23
Two Giants Die on the Same Day — April 23, 1616
On April 23, 1616, two of the greatest writers in Western history died — William Shakespeare and Miguel de Cervantes — both recorded as dying on the same day. Shakespeare passed in Stratford-upon-Avon; Cervantes in Madrid.
There’s a puzzle here: England and Spain used different calendars. Shakespeare actually died eleven days before Cervantes, but by the Gregorian calendar adopted in Spain, both dates aligned. UNESCO later chose this date for World Book Day, honoring both giants.
Shakespeare gave us Hamlet, Lear, and a vocabulary that English speakers still use daily — “bandit,” “generous,” “lonely,” and “eyeball” all entered the language through his plays. Cervantes wrote Don Quixote, the novel that invented the modern novel — a story about a man who loses his grip on reality reading too many adventure stories.
They never met. They wrote in different languages. Yet their deaths intertwined, and April 23 became the day the world celebrates literature, books, and the power of the written word.
The irony? Two men who reshaped how humans tell stories died while the world still struggled to read.
