#rodrigo duterte

Former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte has been charged with crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

The 80-year-old is accused of being criminally responsible for dozens of murders that allegedly took place as part of his so-called war on drugs, during which thousands of small-time drug dealers, users and others were killed without trial.

The ICC's charge sheet, which includes several redactions, dates from July but was only made public on Monday.

ICC deputy prosecutor Mame Mandiaye Niang said Duterte was an "indirect co-perpetrator" in the killings, which the court alleges were carried out by others, including police.

The first count laid against Mr Duterte concerns his alleged involvement in the killings of 19 people in Davao City between 2013 and 2016 while he was mayor there.

The other two charges relate to times when he was serving as president of the Philippines, between 2016 and 2022, and launched his so-called war on drugs.

The second count relates to the murders of 14 "high-value targets" across the country, while the third relates to the murder and attempted murder of 45 people in village clearance operations.

Prosecutors referred to how Mr Duterte and his alleged co-perpetrators "shared a common plan or agreement to 'neutralise' alleged criminals in the Philippines (including those perceived or alleged to be associated with drug use, sale or production) through violent crimes including murder".

He has offered no apologies for his brutal anti-drugs crackdown, which saw more than 6,000 people killed - although activists believe the real figure could run into the tens of thousands.

Mr Duterte said he cracked down on drug dealers to rid the country of street crimes.

Rodrigo Duterte is the first Asian former head of state to be indicted by the ICC - and the first suspect to be flown to The Hague in Netherlands - where the court is based - in over three years. He has been in custody there since March.

His lawyer has said Mr Duterte is not able to stand trial due to poor health.

In May, the former president was again elected mayor of Davao, despite being in prison. His son Sebastian (who had been serving as mayor since 2022), has continued as acting mayor in his father's stead.

Mr Duterte's supporters alleged the ICC was being used as a political tool by the country's current president Ferdinand Marcos, who had publicly fallen out with the powerful Duterte family.

Jon Stewart did a parody of the opening of his own show. It's one which would please MAGA – at least on the surface. 😉

BONUS TRACK!: After the MAGA parody, Jon welcomed a REAL Nobel Peace Prize winner – Philippines journalist Maria Ressa. Ms. Ressa had to deal with thuggish harassment from (the now former) authoritarian President Rodrigo Duterte.

She compares what happened in the Philippines to what is going on currently in the US.

One of her key points was to emphasize the role of social media in spreading what she calls "toxic sludge".

Jon compared what he calls "ultraprocessed speech" on social media to sickening ultraprocessed food.

The Nobel laureate said that what we are currently experiencing is more like Armageddon than the Apocalypse – and that's good news; see the vid to get her reasoning.

She ended by reminding everybody that Rodrigo Duterte is now in jail at The Hague awaiting trial for crimes against humanity. The implication is that Trump's future may not be as rosy as he thinks.

It is incredibly frustrating to watch the same political cycle repeat itself over and over again. Kakawalang-gana na e., Ano ba, bulag-bulagan pa rin ba tayo hanggang ngayon? how can one be so fuckinf uneducated and insensitive to the suffering of people in the middle and lower class! if your not mad, your either ignorant enough to endure it or your rich enough to not feel it. NAKAKA INIS KAYONG MGA PUTANGINANG DUTERTE DICK RIDERS!

Rodrigo Duterte built an entire political brand on fear, violence, and empty promises. he promised to end crime and corruption, but instead left the country with thousands of dead Filipinos from the drug war, massive debt, and a culture of impunity where critics are red-tagged and silenced. kaya nga nag pa tupad ng war on drugs eh, para wlang kaagaw.

Coming up with variants on the whole "Weeks and Decades" Lenin quote is becoming as exhausting as living said weeks.