Rodrigo Duterte, the former President of the Philippines, is set to appear in The Hague court on Wednesday for the first time in a year. This appearance comes after the judge in his case at the International Criminal Court in the Netherlands announced that he is expected to attend a pre-trial session.
Charges and Background of Duterte
Duterte, who is currently 81 years old, is being prosecuted for crimes against humanity in connection with his drug war campaign during his presidency. He has missed several court sessions since his arrest last year due to medical issues. However, judges ruled in January that he is healthy enough to participate in the trial.
Read more: Trump's Efforts to Limit Mail-In Voting Failed
Duterte's charges relate to his involvement in hundreds of killings as part of his war on drugs during his tenure as mayor and then president. He has consistently denied these allegations.
Details of the Court Session
The session on Wednesday will begin to examine evidence disclosure and set a timeline for the trial, which is set to start in November. Judge Joanna Korner stated in a pre-trial session in June, "We expect Mr. Duterte to be here unless a medical issue arises." Duterte's lead lawyer, Peter Hines, informed the judges in the same session that his client is fully aware of his situation.
Duterte was arrested in March 2025 and was supposed to appear in court last September. However, this session was delayed due to the granting of a "limited postponement" to determine whether Duterte is fit to attend the sessions. After an assessment by a group of medical experts, the judges ruled that Duterte is "fit to participate in the pre-trial proceedings."
The International Criminal Court has been investigating mass killings in attacks overseen by Duterte since 2018. Estimates of the number of victims during Duterte's presidency vary, ranging from over 6,000 reported by the national police to 30,000 claimed by human rights groups.
According to prosecutors, police and state-sponsored death squads carried out dozens of killings at Duterte's direction, motivated by financial incentives or fear of becoming targets themselves.
A month after announcing the initiation of preliminary investigations in February 2018 regarding the violent drug crackdowns, Duterte declared that the Philippines would withdraw from the International Criminal Court.
Last year, judges rejected Duterte's legal team's request to dismiss the case due to the Philippines' withdrawal from the court. The decision stated that member countries cannot "abuse their right to withdraw from the Rome Statute of the Court to protect individuals from justice regarding alleged crimes under investigation."
Earlier this year, authorities' attempts to arrest another man linked to drug killings in May led to a shooting in the Philippine Senate. No one was injured. The court has also issued an arrest warrant for Ronald Marapon dela Rosa, who was the national police chief during Duterte's presidency. Dela Rosa has since gone into hiding and remains at large.
Two months after this incident, the Philippine Senate, acting as an impeachment court, began the trial of Duterte's daughter, Sara Duterte. If she is convicted of charges that include accumulating unexplained wealth and publicly threatening the family of current President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., she may be permanently barred from holding public office. She has also denied these allegations.
Read more: The Case of Nick Reiner Proceeds Without a Death Penalty Request · Man Who Spent $369,000 on Luxury Gifts for Ex-Fiancée Lost
Source: abcnews.com
