Ex-Philippine Leader Duterte Faces Crimes Against Humanity Charges
The four-day proceedings will incorporate an annual review of Duterte's detention — a procedural requirement designed to assess whether he remains fit to participate in court proceedings while in custody — media reported.
A panel of judges will evaluate whether substantial grounds exist to conclude that Duterte committed crimes against humanity in connection with killings carried out during his anti-drug campaign, both as mayor of Davao City and later as the country's president from 2016 to 2022.
The hearing is set to commence at 10 am local time with the formal reading of charges and opening observations from all parties. The common legal representative of victims and Duterte's defense team will subsequently present their respective positions and respond to the allegations.
Prosecutors are scheduled to deliver their submissions on the merits of the case during the afternoon session.
Duterte's defense is led by British-Israeli attorney Nicholas Kaufman, with French lawyer Dov Jacobs serving as associate counsel. The prosecution is spearheaded by ICC Deputy Prosecutor Mandiaye Niang, a seasoned former international judge and United Nations official.
Duterte, 80, will be absent from the proceedings both in person and online, having waived his right to attend, citing his rejection of the ICC's jurisdiction alongside health concerns.
The former president has been held at the ICC detention facility in The Hague since last March and confronts three counts of crimes against humanity tied to drug war killings occurring between 2011 and 2019.
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