ICC sets key dates ahead of Duterte’s September hearing
Mr Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s initial appearance took place on Friday, 14 March 2025, at 14:00 hours (The Hague local time), before Pre-Trial Chamber I of the International Criminal Court (“ICC” or “Court”). ©ICC-CPI
MANILA, Philippines – Although the Confirmation of Charges on the crimes against humanity case of former President Rodrigo Duterte is set for September, which is still five months away, both the prosecution and the former leader’s camp are already busy as the International Criminal Court (ICC) set several deadlines for both parties to meet and comply with.
Here are the significant dates on the road to the Confirmation of Charges:
March 21, 2021: The Chamber sought and indicated deadlines for observations from the parties and participation on various matters related to the conduct of the proceedings.
April 2, 2025: The Registry filed its observation on the participation of victims to the proceedings.
April 4, 2025: The Prosecution filed submissions on the conduct of proceedings.
April 7, 2025: The Duterte camp responded to the observations on the participation of the victims to the proceedings.
April 8, 2025: The Duterte camp responded to the Prosecution’s submissions on the conduct of proceedings.
April 30, 2025: The deadline for the prosecution to disclose evidence by categorizing it in the following themes: 1. contextual elements; 2. each alleged crime; 3. each alleged mode of liability.
May 2, 2025: The Duterte camp’s deadline for the Prosecution’s observation on the three evidentiary themes.
May 9, 2025: The prosecution must submit applications to withhold the identity of witnesses by this date.
July 1, 2025: The Prosecution needs to complete the disclosure process no later than July 1. This includes all the evidence it intends to
The Prosecution must also submit the number of witnesses against Duterte no later than May 9, 2025.
May 23, 2025: Deadline for the Prosecution if they want to submit requests for redactions, non-disclosure of witnesses’ identities, or non-disclosure of entire items of evidence.
This is also the deadline for the Prosecution to conclude the risk assessments and implementation of measures to protect witnesses and persons at risk.
July 1, 2025: The Prosecution needs to complete the disclosure process no later than July 1. This includes all the evidence it intends to use at the confirmation of charges, including the totality of the witness statements and translations.
READ: ICC: Prosecution in Duterte ICC trial has until July 1 to submit evidence
July 9, 2025: Should any issue arise from the disclosure of evidence, the parties should raise the matter through a formal filing not later than July 9.
July 16, 2025: The parties can bring any challenge to Documents Containing Charges (DCC) by way of a formal filing which should be submitted not later than July 16.
July 24, 2025: The Duterte camp’s deadline to respond to the questions raised by the Chamber in an order dated March 21, including whether he plans to present evidence during the Confirmation of Charges, and what kind of pieces of evidence.
August 20, 2025: The Prosecution’s deadline in case it intends to amend the charges as stated under Rule 121 (4) of the ICC Rules of Procedure and Evidence. This rule requires that any amendment to the charges should be submitted 15 days before the confirmiation hearing together with a list of evidence. This is so to give the defense, in this case Duterte, adequate preparation time.
September 5, 2026: Deadline for the Duterte camp to respond in case the Prosecution intends to amend the charges.
Duterte was arrested last March 11, 2025 immediately upon his arrival from Hong Kong.
On March 14, he appeared via video conferencing before ICC Pre-Trial Chamber.
Duterte’s Confirmation of Charges is set for September 23, 2025.
Confirmation of charges is a procedure where the Pre-Trial Chamber determines if there is enough evidence to show that the suspect has committed the crimes they are accused of.
If the charges are confirmed, the following procedure is the trial proper.
READ: Duterte’s ICC battle heats up ahead of trial
Meanwhile, the Prosecution is continuing its investigation into allegations of crime against humanity against Duterte despite having in its possession thousands of pieces of evidence.
