THE HAGUE: Rodrigo Duterte killed thousands during his anti-drug campaign, an International Criminal Court prosecutor alleged Friday, as the crimes against humanity hearing against the former Philippines president wrapped up.
His defense team countered that Duterte had murdered no one and that the prosecution’s argument was based on “hearsay” and “conjecture,” falling far short of the bar needed to confirm the charges against him.
“He’s proud of his killings. He wants to be remembered for them,” said Julian Nicholls, summing up for the prosecution.
“Decades of murdering his own people, murdering the children of the Philippines, and he claims that he did it all for his country. He doesn’t deny it.
“He ran a death squad in Davao (city) that he created. He ran it for over 20 years before he became president. His promise was to kill thousands and he did.”
