NewsTracker Answers for week of Mar. 17, 2025

Q: Philippine ex-President Rodrigo Duterte is being held by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands, on charges of crimes against humanity for the thousands of people killed during Duterte’s decades-long war against drugs. Where is the Netherlands?

Circle the area on this map


Q: The ICC handles allegations of war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and aggression. It is one of about 200 international governmental organizations in The Hague, the Netherlands’ third-largest city. What is the nation’s largest city?

A. Amsterdam

B. Brussels

C. Copenhagen

D. Luxembourg


A. With a population of 933,680 people, Amsterdam is the largest city and the official capital of the Netherlands. But, The Hague is the seat of government where the nation’s parliament meets and government offices are located. Embassies to the Netherlands are also located in The Hague.


Q: The ICC began investigating Duterte in 2011 when he was mayor of the southern Philippine city of Davao, where police and civilian hit squads gunned down up to 10,000 mostly poor drug suspects without trial. Which nation does not accept the authority of the ICC?

A. China

B. Russia

C. United States

D. All of the above


D. The world’s top three powers are not among the 125 nation members of court which takes on cases when nations are unable or unwilling to prosecute crimes on their territory. Some Duterte supporters argue that the ICC has no authority to try the former president who withdrew the Philippines from the ICC in 2019. But, the court says the charges cover actions before 2019.


Q: Duterte was arrested in the Philippines on a warrant issued by the ICC, which depends on national police forces to make any arrests. President Donald Trump issued economic and travel sanctions against court personnel over an ICC arrest warrant against which leader?

A. Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel

B. Mohammed Deif, Hamas

C. Omar al-Bashar, Sudan

D. Vladimir Putin, Russia


A. The ICC issued arrest warrants for Israeli prime minister Netanyahu and his former defense minister, Yoav Gallant, for alleged war crimes during Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza. It also issued a warrant for Hamas leader Deif, who has since been killed. Russian president Putin and former Sudan president al-Bashar also face outstanding arrest warrants from the court.


Q: China, Russia and the United States don’t recognize the authority of the ICC, but they executed hundreds of people and imprisoned thousands more for war crimes or crimes against humanity in which decade?

A. 1930s

B. 1940s

C. 1950s

D. 1960s


B. After World War II, the victorious Allies held dozens of trials where government officials, military officers and soldiers of defeated nations were tried and convicted. Some were charged with crimes which did not exist before the world’s deadliest war. As World War II suspects were later identified, some trials continued into the 21st century.