Former Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte is now scheduled to stand trial at the Hague on November 30th.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) is prosecuting Duterte for his time in office at the head of a ‘war on drugs,’ under which scores of predominantly poor Filipinos were allegedly killed on his orders. The Asian strongman ex-ruler now faces three counts of crimes against humanity. Prosecutors allege his involvement in at least 76 murders between 2013 and 2018.
Arrested in March 2025, the 81-year-old’s health, including his cognitive decline, has been cited by his defence barristers as a factor in need of further assessment.
The ICC’s foray into Philippines’ domestic policy, which is likely to scrutinise Duterte’s time as mayor of Davao City, has prompted suspicion of ‘mission creep’ by the Hague-based legal entity.
