THE HAGUE, Netherlands, March 15, (AP): Jailed former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte appeared Friday by videoconference before judges at the International Criminal Court, days after his arrest in Manila on murder charges linked to the deadly " war on drugs ” that he oversaw while in office. The 79-year-old Duterte didn't show up at the court in The Hague, but appeared on a video screen from the detention center where he is being held, about a mile (1½ kilometers) away.

For families of victims of the drugs crackdown, Duterte's appearance in court was a long-awaited sign of hope. Duterte's vocal supporters call the arrest illegal. His lawyer, Salvador Medialdea, used the hearing to slam his arrest in Manila as a "pure and simple kidnapping.” He said Duterte "was denied all access to the legal recourse in the country of his citizenship, and this all in the nature of political score-settling.”

Presiding Judge Iulia Antoanella Motoc set a pretrial hearing date of Sept. 23 to establish if prosecution evidence is strong enough to merit sending the case to trial. If a trial does go ahead, it could take years, and if Duterte is convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. Estimates of the death toll during Duterte’s presidential term vary, from the more than 6,000 that the national police have reported and up to 30,000, according to numbers from human rights groups.

The ICC judge said that Duterte had been allowed to participate in his first hearing by videoconference because he had just come off a long flight. Duterte, wearing a jacket and tie, listened to the hearing through headphones, often with his eyes closed. He spoke in English to confirm his name, and his date and place of birth. He was not required to enter a plea.

The hearing, which started about a half-hour late, lasted around 30 minutes. Medialdea said that Duterte had been under observation at a hospital because of health issues. The judge, addressing Duterte, said: "The court doctor was of the opinion that you were fully mentally aware and fit." Duterte was arrested Tuesday amid chaotic scenes in the Philippine capital after returning from a visit to Hong Kong.

He was swiftly put on a chartered jet and flown to the Netherlands. His daughter, Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte, visited him in the court's detention center Friday and met with supporters outside the court. Duterte is a political rival of the current president. She said her father is ″in good spirits″ and ″well taken care of,″ and his only complaint about his conditions is that he misses Filipino food.