Rodrigo Duterte Appears In Person At ICC For First Time In The Hague

Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte appeared in person at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague for the first time during a status conference hearing according to GMA Network. Duterte, who is 81 years old, is facing three counts of crimes against humanity over his controversial “war on drugs”. Dressed in a dark suit and white shirt with no tie, the former president sat with his chin resting on his hands as proceedings opened, reported Free Malaysia Today.

First In-Person Appearance at the International Criminal Court

Presiding Judge Joanna Korner noted Duterte’s attendance and stated that if he wished to leave for any reason, he was free to do so. Unlike the first two status conferences where his appearance was waived, Duterte did not waive his presence this time. His only previous court appearance was via online attendance during the initial hearing on March 14, 2025, after being arrested at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 and detained at the ICC Detention Centre in Scheveningen. Duterte is the first Asian former head of state to face trial at the international tribunal.

Health Arguments and Trial Fitness

Wednesday’s session covered Duterte’s health, the disclosure of evidence, and the upcoming timetable for the trial, which is scheduled to open on November 30. Duterte remained silent throughout the hearing. He had missed earlier sessions on medical grounds, with his lawyers arguing that cognitive decline has rendered him unfit to participate.

Rodrigo Duterte Appears In Person At ICC For First Time In The Hague — Photo: gmanetwork.com

In a defense filing submitted on Tuesday, lawyers cited an unpublished report by three medical experts indicating that serious memory loss leaves him unable to absorb new information or reliably recall the past. According to the defense, examination results showed that Duterte believes the current year is 2007 or 2008, believes he is 84 or 85 years old, and could not name the sitting president of the United States. Despite these defense arguments regarding mental fitness, judges ruled in January that he was healthy enough to stand trial and ordered his physical presence.

Prosecution Evidence and Legal Challenges

The case covers Duterte’s alleged role in at least 76 murders between 2013 and 2018 during his tenure as mayor of Davao City and later as president from 2016 to 2022. Prosecutors accuse him of creating, funding, and arming death squads that targeted drug users and dealers. Duterte denies the charges, maintaining that he only ordered police to act in self-defense as part of his anti-drug offensive. Philippine police figures state that 6,200 suspects were killed in anti-drug operations, while rights groups and ICC prosecutors place the total death toll as high as 30,000.

During the hearing, discussions centered on the massive volume of evidence, which defense lawyer Peter Haynes described as nearly 20,000 items, alongside 15,559 pieces of evidence presented by the prosecution. Prosecution trial lawyer Edward Jeremy stated that the prosecution would require 193 hours to present their witnesses, noting this was already a reduced timeline. Haynes complained that evidence disclosure had been “awful” and revealed only six weeks before the disclosure deadline, prompting consideration of an expensive artificial intelligence tool to sift through the data. Judge Korner gave both the prosecution and the defense seven days each to file their respective positions on the matter.