MANILA, Philippines — The International Criminal Court (ICC) has formally received the applications of 15 victims of former president Rodrigo Duterte's drug war seeking to participate in the case that has been filed against him.

The ICC Registry confirmed that the applications, reviewed by its Victims Participation and Reparations Section, were transmitted to Pre-Trial Chamber I on Aug. 27. All 15 were classified under Group A, meaning they met the requirements to join the proceedings, while 10 other applications were categorized under Group B pending further assessment.

Duterte faces charges of crimes against humanity over thousands of killings linked to his anti-drug campaign during his terms as Davao City mayor and as president. He was arrested in the Philippines on March 11 and flown to The Hague, where he remains in detention at Scheveningen Prison.

ICC clears applications of 15 drug war victims to join proceedings vs Duterte

The former president made his first court appearance via video link on March 14, when judges read him the charges and informed him of his rights under the Rome Statute. The Pre-Trial Chamber has scheduled a hearing on the confirmation of charges for September 23.

A total of 303 victims have applied to participate in the pre-trial proceedings.

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