Former President Duterte is preparing to face trial on charges of crimes against humanity after the International Criminal Court (ICC) validated these allegations.
On 23 Apr 2026 GMT+7, Rodrigo Duterte, former President of the Philippines, will stand trial on charges of crimes against humanity following the ICC judges' confirmation of these allegations.
The 81-year-old former leader is accused of involvement in thousands of extrajudicial killings during the bloody "drug war" campaign from 2011 to 2019.
The ICC stated on Thursday that the charges were “unanimously confirmed” by preliminary judges who found "reasonable grounds" to believe Duterte committed the alleged crimes.
The confirmation of Duterte’s trial comes after the former president made several appeals seeking release from detention, where he has been held for over a year.
Previously, Duterte refused to acknowledge the ICC process, arguing that when he was president in 2019, the Philippines had already withdrawn from the Rome Statute, the treaty establishing the ICC.
However, on Wednesday, the ICC's Pre-Trial Chamber ruled that the court retains jurisdiction over Duterte’s case because the alleged crimes occurred between 2011 and 2019, while the Philippines was still an ICC member.
Additionally, according to ICC information, the judges allowed more than 500 victims to participate in the trial proceedings.
At the core of this case is Duterte’s “drug war” campaign, which human rights groups say targeted only small-time drug dealers but failed to apprehend major drug lords.
Duterte has denied all charges, condemning them as “disgusting lies,” while police maintain that they carried out killings in self-defense.
Duterte’s lawyers argued that the former president is unfit to participate in the ICC proceedings due to cognitive impairment.
However, the ICC judges dismissed this claim, referencing medical expert opinions and stating they believe Duterte is sufficiently capable of participating in the trial and exercising his legal rights effectively.
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Source:bbc