Former Philippine Leader Rodrigo Duterte Prepares for First Public ICC Appearance in The Hague

Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is scheduled to make his first public appearance in more than a year before the International Criminal Court in The Hague. The 81-year-old former leader is slated to attend a key pretrial hearing after the presiding judge emphasized that the court expects him to be present in person.

The upcoming session in the Netherlands is designed to address vital procedural steps before the case advances to trial. Judges and legal teams will focus on managing evidence disclosure and establishing a structured timetable for the full trial, which is currently scheduled to commence in November.

Presiding Judge Joanna Korner previously made the court's expectations clear during a pretrial session held in June, noting that the bench expected Duterte to appear in the courtroom unless prevented by a verified medical issue. During the same hearing, Duterte’s lead defense counsel, Peter Haynes, assured the bench that his client was fully conscious of the court’s desire to see him appear without undue delay.

The international criminal proceedings center on allegations regarding Duterte’s direct role in dozens of fatal shootings and extrajudicial deaths during his controversial "war on drugs." The accusations span multiple years, encompassing his time as the mayor of a major southern Philippine city as well as his tenure as the nation’s president. Duterte has consistently maintained his innocence and rejected all charges against him.

Prosecutors at the international tribunal contend that law enforcement personnel and state-backed hit squads carried out numerous extrajudicial executions under Duterte’s direct instructions. According to investigators, those carrying out the violent operations were motivated either by financial compensation promised by authorities or by fear of becoming targets of the crackdown themselves if they failed to comply.

Duterte was initially arrested in March 2025 and was slated to appear in court in The Hague in September of that year. However, those initial proceedings encountered a significant delay when a pretrial judicial panel granted a limited postponement to allow medical specialists to evaluate whether the aging former leader was physically and mentally capable of participating in legal proceedings.

Following a thorough evaluation conducted by an appointed panel of medical professionals, the judges officially concluded that Duterte remains medically fit to participate in the ongoing pretrial proceedings. This ruling cleared the path for the court to resume scheduling and move forward with hearing preparations.

The International Criminal Court first initiated its examination into the alleged mass killings and crackdowns overseen by Duterte in 2018. Since that time, the scope and human cost of the anti-drug operations have been subjects of intense dispute. Official figures from the Philippine national police recorded more than 6,000 deaths during the operations, while various human rights organizations estimate the true death toll could reach as high as 30,000 individuals.

The tribunal's involvement prompted an immediate political reaction in Manila when it first announced a preliminary inquiry in February 2018. Roughly a month after the investigation was formally launched, Duterte announced that the Philippines would withdraw from the ICC and its founding charter, the Rome Statute.

Despite the withdrawal, ICC judges last year firmly dismissed an effort by Duterte’s defense team to have the criminal case thrown out on jurisdictional grounds. In their formal ruling, the judges determined that member nations are not permitted to abuse their right of treaty withdrawal to shield individuals from judicial scrutiny regarding crimes that were already being actively considered by the court prior to the exit.

The legal fallout from the drug war has also extended to other prominent figures from Duterte's administration. In May, an attempt by law enforcement authorities to execute an ICC-issued arrest warrant for Ronald Marapon dela Rosa erupted into gunfire inside the Philippine Senate. Dela Rosa, who previously served as Duterte’s national police chief and oversaw the enforcement of the anti-drug operations, escaped harm during the standoff. He went into hiding immediately after the incident and remains a fugitive from justice.

Meanwhile, domestic political pressure has intensified around the Duterte family in the Philippines. Two months following the Senate confrontation, the Philippine Senate convened as an impeachment court to begin the trial of Duterte’s daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte.

The impeachment charges against the vice president include allegations of accumulating unexplained wealth and issuing public threats directed at the family of current Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Sara Duterte has vigorously denied all allegations, but a conviction in the Senate trial could result in her permanent disqualification from holding any public office in the country.

With the pretrial hearing set to address outstanding evidence matters, international observers and legal experts are closely watching The Hague as Duterte prepares to face the bench ahead of the landmark November trial.