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Rodrigo Duterte will not be alone inside the International Criminal Court (ICC) Detention Center in the Netherlands as he faces proceedings for crimes against humanity over his bloody war on drugs.
The detention center near Scheveningen Beach in The Hague, the seat of the ICC, exclusively houses individuals undergoing trial, since those convicted serve their sentences in other member-states. The ICC has assured detainees of “safe, secure, and humane custody” — a stark contrast to the dire conditions of Philippine prisons.
Duterte’s detention follows his arrest on March 11 and his arrival in the Netherlands at 11:53 pm on March 12 (Manila time). Soon, he will stand before the very institution he spent years insulting and threatening. But this time, as the accused in a case that seeks justice for the thousands killed under his violent war on drugs.
Under ICC custody
The former Philippine president joins at least five other individuals in the ICC’s detention facility. Four are currently on trial, while one has been convicted and is awaiting transfer to an ICC member-state as per rules.
One notable person who also was held at the ICC was Ivory Coast president Laurent Gbagbo who faced four counts of crimes against humanity in relation to post-election violence between 2010 to 2011. He was arrested and placed under ICC custody in November 2011 but was acquitted in 2015.
Al Hassan Ag Abdoul Aziz
CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY. Al Hassan Ag Abdoul Aziz at the ICC. Photo from ICCAl Hassan Ag Abdoul Aziz is the only convicted individual currently detained in the ICC Detention Center. He was a senior member of the Islamic Police in Timbuktu, Mali who faced charges in relation to incidents that happened in the context of the occupation by Ansar Dine and Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.
He was found guilty in July 2024 of the crimes against humanity (including torture, persecution, and other inhuman acts) and war crimes (torture, outrages upon personal dignity, and mutilation, among others) that happened between May 2012 and January 2013.
Al Hassan was sentenced to 10 years in prison in November 2024, or five years since his arrest. He was surrendered to the ICC on March 31, 2018 after a warrant was issued by the court on March 27. The trial officially opened in July 2020 where at least 52 witnesses gave oral testimony for the prosecution, aside from the 2,196 victims included and represented in the case.
The time he spent in detention at the ICC — a total of six years and eight months — will be deducted from his 10-year sentence.
Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman
MILITIA. First appearance of Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman before the ICC. Photo from ICCAli Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman is the suspected former leader of Janjaweed militia allegedly responsible for 31 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur, Sudan. The incidents were allegedly committed between August 2003 and April 2004 in relation to the conflict between the Sudanese government and opposition armed groups. Abdul Rahman, also known as Ali Kushayb, allegedly served as middle man between the government and pro-government armed groups.
The crimes allegedly committed include murder, rape, persecution, and torture that primarily targeted members of the Fur, Masalit, and Zaghawa groups. The violence left at least 300,000 people dead with millions forced out of their homes.
He voluntarily surrendered and went under ICC custody in June 2020. The trial then opened in April 2022 where 56 witnesses were presented for the prosecution. Closing statements were delivered in December 2024, and the judgment “will be pronounced in due course,” according to the ICC.
Alfred Yekatom
CAR chief. Alfred Yekatom at the ICC. Photo from ICCAlfred Yekatom is the former corporal chief of Central African Republic’s Armed Forces and also served as a member of parliament. He is accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity in relation to his role as leader of at least 3,000 fighters within the Anti-Balaka militia.
The charges against Yekatom include murder, torture, persecution, forcible transfer of populations, and the enlistment of child soldiers. He is also accused of ordering attacks on civilians and religious buildings. These incidents allegedly happened between December 2013 and August 2014.
Yekatom, known to use multiple aliases such as “Rambo,” was transferred to the ICC in November 2018 following his arrest in the same month. His case, combined with that of another militia leader Patrice-Edouard Ngaïssona, began in February 2021. At least 75 witnesses testified for the prosecution. Closing statements were delivered in December 2024, and the judgment is expected to be announced “in due course.”
Patrice-Edouard Ngaïssona
TRIAL. Patrice-Edouard Ngaïssona during his first appearance before the court. Photo from ICCPatrice-Edouard Ngaïssona is the suspected “most senior leader” and the national general coordinator of the Anti-Balaka militia allegedly responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Central African Republic.
The incidents were reportedly committed between December 2013 and December 2014 across CAR. The crimes allegedly committed primarily against Muslim civilians included murder, rape, persecution, and the forcible transfer of populations.
Ngaïssona was arrested in December 2018 and transferred to ICC custody in January 2019. His trial, alongside co-accused Yekatom, opened in February 2021. A decision is expected soon.
Mahamat Said Abdel Kani
CAR. Mahamat Said Abdel Kani during his first appearance before the ICC. Photo from ICCMahamat Said Abdel Kani was a high-ranking commander of the Seleka rebel militia in the Central African Republic, and had a “leading role” at the Central Office for the Repression of Banditry.
He is facing charges of crimes against humanity and war crimes, particularly in relation to forced imprisonment, torture, enforced disappearances, among others. The victims were mostly detained supporters of former president François Bozizé, who escaped the country following the takeover of the Seleka.
Said was surrendered to the ICC in January 2021. It also took more than a year before the trial opened in September 2022. The prosecution finished its presentation of evidence — with 58 witnesses — in November 2014. The defense team is scheduled to present on March 17, 2025.
CENTER. A building inside the Dutch facility that houses the ICC Detention Center. Photo from ICCWithin the same compound
The ICC Detention Center is located inside a prison complex run by the Dutch government, the Penitentiary Institution Haaglanden in Scheveningen. This also houses the detention facilities of other Hague-based tribunals and those established by the United Nations, like the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.
The detention facilities of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers, which has jurisdiction over crimes committed in Kosovo between 1998 and 2000. Former president Hashim Thaçi and other high-ranking officials are currently detained in the same compound as Duterte. Thaçi, who is facing charges of crimes against humanity and war crimes, was recently allowed to go back home for a short time to visit his ailing father.
Ratko Mladic, considered the “butcher of Bosnia,” is serving a life sentence after being found guilty of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity committed during the 1992-1995 war that killed more than 100,000. He was first indicted in 1995 but was arrested only in 2015.
Mladic was the top leader of the Bosnian Serb Army and was responsible for the death of more than 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys during the Srebrenica massacre in 1995, among others.
Serbian president Slobodan Milosevic, responsible for the hundreds of thousands dead in the former Yugoslavia, was also held inside the UN detention facility in The Hague. He was arrested in 2001, but died of a heart attack while his trial was ongoing in 2006. – Rappler.com
