Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte made the war on drugs the focus of his administration. He implemented a policy called Operation Double Barrel, which included the extrajudicial killings of suspected drug dealers and users. As the death toll climbed into the thousands, Duterte praised the killings and threatened human rights organizations that raised concerns about their legality. Despite international criticism, U.S. President Donald Trump called Duterte in 2017 to congratulate him for doing “an unbelievable job on the drug problem.”
Duterte is now behind bars in The Hague. On April 23, the International Criminal Court (ICC) confirmed charges of crimes against humanity against Duterte. The primary charge is that he formulated and implemented a government plan to “neutralize criminals”—including those suspected of drug crimes—by unlawful means that included murder. The prosecution identified 49 incidents and 78 victims in a non-exhaustive list of crimes committed by law enforcement personnel and hitmen during Duterte’s time in office. Duterte allegedly ordered these murders and stated that the targeted individuals should be killed irrespective of their threat. His trial at the ICC is scheduled to begin on Nov. 30.
