THE HAGUE - Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte was "abducted" before being taken to The Hague to face murder allegations and is too ill to give evidence, his lawyer told International Criminal Court judges at his initial appearance on Friday (March 14).

Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is now in the custody of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Netherlands following his dramatic arrest in Manila the day before over a brutal, years-long anti-drugs crackdown that left thousands of his citizens dead.

Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte was handed over to the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Wednesday, the court in The Hague confirmed. The court will soon schedule an initial appearance in which the allegations against Duterte will be outlined,

Duterte, 79, appeared at the hearing via videolink, with Presiding Judge Iulia Motoc citing his prior “long journey."

Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte appeared on a remote video link on Friday (March 14) for his initial hearing at the International Criminal Court in The Hague, where he faces murder allegations stemming from his "war on drugs.

Former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte was set to appear before the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Netherlands on Friday, the court said. The 79-year-old, who landed in the Netherlands on Wednesday,