Former Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has appeared in the International Criminal Court for the first time on charges of crimes against humanity.
Mr Duterte appeared via videolink at the Hague where he faces the allegations stemming from his "war on drugs".
Presiding Judge Iulia Motoc told the court the 79-year-old was tired after flying to the Netherlands from the Philippines following his arrest.
"(He had) a long journey with considerable time difference," she said.
Mr Duterte, who wore a blue suit and tie and appeared frail, kept his eyes closed the majority of the hearing only speaking to confirm his identity and age.
He was allowed to remain seated while being informed of the crimes he is alleged to have committed, as well as his rights as a defendant.
It was not required Mr Duterte enter a plea.
He was represented in court by his former executive secretary Salvador Medialdea who told the ICC Mr Duterte was "abducted" during his "degrading" arrest and it was "a pure and simple kidnapping".
Mr Medialdea said the case was "in the nature of political score settling" and the transfer on the way from the Philippines to the Netherlands via the United Arab Emirates was a "gross abuse of process".
He said Mr Duterte was facing "debilitating medical issues" and is not able to contribute to his hearing, however judge Motoc said the court doctor had found Mr Duterte "fully mentally aware and fit".
She added that Mr Duterte and his lawyers can raise issues over his transfer to the court and his health at a later stage in the proceedings.
Previously Mr Duterte has said that he suffers from a series of ailments including a chronic neuromuscular disorder, back problems, migraines and a condition that can cause blockages in the blood vessels.
The ex-leader's daughter Sara Duterte, the current vice president of the Philippines, watched the proceedings from the public gallery.
Mr Duterte arrived in the Netherlands on a flight from Manila on Wednesday, was taken into ICC custody and transferred to a detention unit on the Dutch coast up the road from the ICC building.
Mr Duterte, who led the Philippines from 2016 to 2022, is set to be the first Asian former head of state to go on trial at the ICC.
What are the allegations?
Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan's application for arrest said Mr Duterte's alleged crimes were "part of a widespread and systematic attack directed against the civilian population in the Philippines."
Mr Duterte is accused of being an “indirect co-perpetrator” in multiple murders, for allegedly overseeing killings from November 2011 until March 2019, first while he was mayor of the southern city of Davao and later as president of the Philippines.
It is alleged Mr Duterte, as Davao mayor, issued orders to police and other “hitmen” who formed so-called Davao Death Squads, or DDS.
He allegedly told them “that their mission was to kill criminals, including drug dealers, and provided clearance for specific DDS killings,” adding that he recruited, paid and rewarded the killers and “provided them with the necessary weapons and resources, and promised to shield them from prosecution.”
"Potentially tens of thousands of killings were perpetrated," Mr Khan said, alleging the campaign targeted mostly poor men, often without proof they were linked to drugs.
The document seeking an ICC warrant for Mr Duterte said that prosecutors built their case using evidence including witness testimony, speeches by Mr Duterte himself, government documents and video footage.
Mr Duterte has previously denied ordering police to kill drug suspects unless in self-defence.
What happens now?
Mr Duterte's case is expected to return to the ICC in September where it will be determined if there is enough evidence to press ahead to trial, a process that could take several months to years.
A trial would not be expected to start until early 2026.
If Mr Duterte is convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
Prosecution case
In his application for arrest, the prosecutor quotes from some of Mr Duterte's pronouncements when he was running for president.
He is cited as saying the number of criminal suspects killed "will become 100,000... I will kill all of you" and the fish in Manila Bay "will become fat because that's where I will throw you."
Estimates of the death toll during Mr Duterte’s presidential term vary - the national police have reported more than 6,000 while human rights groups say the numbers could be up to 30,000.
Reactions from both sides
Victims' families have welcomed the trial as a chance to get justice, while Duterte supporters believe he was "kidnapped" and sent to The Hague amid a spectacular fall-out with the ruling Marcos family.
“We are happy and we feel relieved,” said 55-year-old Melinda Abion Lafuente, mother of 22-year-old Angelo Lafuente, who she said was tortured and killed in 2016.
Mr Duterte's supporters outside the court chanted ’’Send him back! Send him back!? as they waited for his arrival.
Mr Duterte’s legal team said that the current Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s administration shouldn't have allowed the global court to take custody of the former leader because the Philippines is no longer a part of the ICC.
The ICC judges who issued his arrest warrant say that the alleged crimes he is charged with happened before the Philippines withdrew from the court.
According to international law experts, Mr Duterte's whirlwind arrest and surrender to the ICC offers a welcome boon to the embattled court which is being attacked from all sides and sanctioned by the United States.
