ICC rules against Duterte's jurisdiction challenge

On Wednesday, International Criminal Court judges rejected a challenge to the court's jurisdiction by Rodrigo Duterte, allowing the former Philippines president to potentially stand trial over his war on drugs.

The 81-year-old faces three counts of crimes against humanity at the international court based in The Hague over murders allegedly committed as part of his crackdown on drug users and pushers, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.

The allegations relate to his time as mayor of Davao city between 2013 and 2016 and then as president until March 2019, when the Philippines withdrew from the ICC.

Duterte's defence had argued the court had no jurisdiction over alleged crimes in the Philippines because the country is no longer subject to the Rome Statute, the ICC's founding text.

The prosecution countered that the alleged crimes occurred while the Philippines was still a member of the ICC and so judges can rule on Duterte's case.

News.Az 

By Ulviyya Salmanli