Overview
- ICC pre-trial judges on Thursday confirmed three counts of murder and attempted murder as crimes against humanity and sent Duterte to trial, finding substantial grounds tied to 76 killings and two attempted killings linked to the drug war.
- An Appeals Chamber ruling on Wednesday upheld the court’s authority despite the Philippines’ 2019 withdrawal, saying the ICC can try alleged crimes on Philippine territory from November 2011 to March 2019 and declaring the bid for Duterte’s immediate release moot.
- Duterte has been held in ICC detention in The Hague since his March 2025 arrest, and a January 2026 court-ordered medical review found him fit to stand trial despite defense claims of cognitive impairment.
- Prosecutors allege Duterte created, funded, and armed death squads and drove a policy to “neutralize” alleged criminals, while rights groups say the broader campaign killed thousands beyond the emblematic incidents selected for the case.
- The ICC presidency will now assign a Trial Chamber and set a start date, with 539 victims authorized to take part and what could become the first ICC trial of a former Asian head of state drawing close attention in the Philippines and beyond.