THE HAGUE — Judges at the International Criminal Court have ruled that former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is fit to stand trial on charges of crimes against humanity, removing a major obstacle before his trial opens on Nov. 30, the court said.
Trial Chamber III on Thursday made public its decision, dated Sept. 28, which relied on an independent panel of experts that unanimously found Duterte able to understand the charges and the evidence, follow the proceedings and instruct his lawyers. “The Chamber was satisfied that the Accused is able to effectively exercise his fair trial rights in the proceedings,” the ICC said. The judges rejected a defense request for further medical examinations.
Duterte’s lawyer Peter Haynes had argued that the former president suffers from “significant memory impairment that prevents him from retaining recent information and reliably accessing memories,” GMA News reported. The chamber said it was mindful of the experts’ findings of cognitive impairment, but described it as “mild,” “incipient” or “pre-clinical,” Rappler reported. The judges said sitting hours would be set case by case and ordered that his health be continuously monitored by the medical officer at the court’s detention center.
Duterte faces three counts of crimes against humanity over killings linked to his “war on drugs” and the so-called Davao Death Squad; human rights groups say the crackdown killed nearly 30,000 people, according to Rappler. He was arrested and surrendered to the court in March 2025, and judges confirmed all charges in April.
Sources: International Criminal Court, GMA News, Rappler
—
