ICC: Duterte Trial Opens November 30, With Daily Attendance Required
The Hague — Trial Chamber III of the International Criminal Court (ICC) held the fifth and final pre-trial status conference in the case of former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte in The Hague on Monday, November 2. Presiding Judge Joanna Korner said the chamber had exceptionally allowed Duterte to skip the status conference, but that once the trial proper begins on November 30, he will be expected to attend in person every day.
Duterte faces three counts of crimes against humanity involving murder and attempted murder, linked to killings during the anti-drug campaign he led as mayor of Davao City and as president of the Philippines. Prosecutors allege the crimes formed part of a widespread and systematic attack against civilians between November 1, 2011, and March 16, 2019. According to Reuters, the charges cover at least 76 murders and two attempted murders. Duterte is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
The trial opens at 10 a.m. on November 30 in The Hague. Judges will first confirm that Duterte understands the charges and ask him to enter a plea, followed by opening statements from the prosecution, the common legal representatives of victims, and the defense. Prosecutors have been allotted six hours for their opening statement and victims' representatives three hours. Following medical experts' recommendations, hearings will run in four daily sessions (10–11 a.m., 11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m., 1:30–2:30 p.m., and 3–4 p.m. Hague time). The prosecution has 150 hours to present its evidence, and about 29 witnesses are expected to testify remotely.
In a decision made public on October 8, the chamber ruled, after an assessment by an independent panel of medical experts, that Duterte is fit to stand trial, while directing the court's Registry to keep monitoring his health throughout the proceedings. Arrested in March 2025 and taken to The Hague, Duterte is held in the ICC detention centre. He waived his appearance at the status conference in a signed request the chamber approved on October 29. His lead counsel is Peter Haynes.
Source: International Criminal Court
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：位于荷兰海牙的国际刑事法院总部大楼。照片 CC BY-SA 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: The headquarters of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands. CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
