ICC Sets November 30, 2026 Start for Duterte Trial

Overview

• At a May 27 status conference Trial Chamber III scheduled the opening of The Prosecutor v. Rodrigo Roa Duterte for November 30, 2026 and said it will resolve outstanding pre-trial matters before then.
• The chamber ordered a new medical reassessment to decide whether the 81-year-old defendant is fit to stand trial, noting that his age and health could shorten hearing weeks or alter the schedule.
• Prosecutors plan to call roughly 60 to 70 witnesses to support three counts of crimes against humanity—murder, torture and rape—allegedly committed between November 2011 and March 2019.
• Judges set near-term procedural deadlines, indicating prosecutors may add further incidents by a likely end‑of‑August cutoff and that witness identities should be disclosed by the end of September, with evidence released on a rolling basis.
• The case remains politically charged in the Philippines: Duterte has been detained in The Hague since March 2025, his supporters call the prosecution selective, and victims' families seek public accountability and a full evidentiary record.