Judges cite a report by unbiased medical consultants saying the 80-year-old is in a position ‘successfully to train his procedural rights’.
Printed On 26 Jan 2026
Judges on the Worldwide Felony Courtroom (ICC) have dominated that former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is match to face trial for alleged crimes against humanity.
In an announcement on Monday, the court docket rejected defence arguments that the 80-year-old is in frail well being and unfit to participate within the authorized proceedings.
Beneficial Tales
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Duterte is dealing with prices of crimes towards humanity for his alleged involvement in dozens of killings as a part of his “conflict on medicine” whereas in workplace, first because the mayor of the southern metropolis of Davao and later as president from 2016 to 2022.
“Having regard to the related authorized ideas, the medical evaluation of the unbiased consultants … and all the related circumstances of the case, the Chamber was glad that Mr Duterte is in a position successfully to train his procedural rights,” the court docket stated in an announcement, citing an evaluation by a panel of medical consultants, together with in geriatric neurology and psychiatry.
The judges famous that for individuals to be deemed match to participate of their instances, it’s sufficient that they’ve a broad understanding of the procedures, not that they function at their highest degree.
It’s uncommon for worldwide courts to seek out suspects, even aged ones, wholly unfit for trial. The ICC has by no means discovered a suspect unfit for trial regardless of a number of different defendants’ petitions.
Duterte will now face a “affirmation of prices” listening to beginning on February 23, during which judges will resolve whether or not the prosecution’s allegations are robust sufficient to proceed to trial.
Duterte’s lead lawyer, Nick Kaufman, stated he was upset within the court docket’s resolution on Monday and would search to attraction. The defence was “denied the chance to current its personal medical proof and to query, in court docket, the contradictory findings of pros chosen by the judges”, he stated.
Duterte, who’s being held in The Hague, was arrested in March. Households of the individuals killed in his “conflict on medicine” hailed the event on the time.
In keeping with ICC prosecutors, Duterte created, funded and armed dying squads that killed hundreds of alleged narcotics peddlers and customers.
Estimates of the dying toll throughout Duterte’s presidency range. Nationwide police put the determine at greater than 6,000 whereas human rights teams have stated it’s as many as 30,000.
Duterte has lengthy insisted he instructed police to kill solely in self-defence and has all the time defended the crackdown, repeatedly telling his supporters he was able to “rot in jail” if it meant ridding the Philippines of illicit medicine.
