Duterte finally appears in person before ICC
MANILA, Philippines — Former President Rodrigo Duterte finally appeared in person before the International Criminal Court (ICC) Trial Chamber III on Wednesday during the third status conference in his crimes against humanity case.
Wednesday’s proceedings marked the first time Duterte personally appeared before the tribunal since he was arrested in March 2025.
Dressed in a dark suit and white shirt with no tie, the former president sat with his chin resting on his hands as the proceedings opened.
Judge Joanna Korner noted his appearance in court for the first time, and said he could leave the court at any time without seeking permission from the bench.
“This is the first time that Mr. Duterte has been in this court. As far as the trial chamber is concerned, if he wishes to leave for any reason, he may do so,” Korner said at the start of the status conference.
READ: Duterte due for first public appearance in over a year at ICC
He attended the conference as his counsel continued to insist that he is unfit to stand trial, citing health concerns related to his age, particularly his alleged memory impairment.
Before today, his last “appearance” before the judges was on March 14, 2025, when he attended the proceedings via videoconference.
While the third status conference will mainly tackle the prosecution’s case against Duterte, particularly its list of witnesses, list of evidence, disclosures to the defense, other possible incidents, as well as the amount of time to be allotted to the prosecution to present its case, the chamber will also discuss the schedule for the trial proper, which will begin on Nov. 30.
The parties to the case will also tackle the proposal to have “blocks of hearings with breaks and sitting hours.”
READ: Will Duterte finally appear in person at ICC hearing today?
Duterte is facing three counts of crimes against humanity over his administration’s bloody war on drugs, which killed at least 6,000 people based on government records and more than 30,000 according to human rights records, including children as young as three years old. /dl
With a report from Agence France-Presse
