ICC rules Rodrigo Duterte fit to stand trial as war-on-drugs case opens November 30

Judges at the International Criminal Court have found former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte fit to stand trial, the court announced on Thursday, 8 October (ICC press release).

Duterte, 81, is due to go on trial on 30 November on charges of murder and attempted murder as crimes against humanity linked to his war on drugs (Reuters). Trial Chamber III made public its decision, dated 28 September, finding the independent panel of medical experts had unanimously concluded he can understand the charges, follow the proceedings, and instruct counsel — and is therefore able to effectively exercise his fair trial rights (ICC).

The experts found some physical and mental slowing in line with his age and frailty, but said he could understand the trial and assist his defence (Reuters). His lawyers had argued he suffers cognitive decline — counsel Peter Haynes claimed earlier examinations showed “significant memory impairment” — but the chamber found the defence “misrepresents the instructions the Chamber gave to the Expert Panel” and rejected calls for wider medical testing (GMA News).

Prosecutors say Duterte was criminally responsible for the deaths of at least 76 people, with thousands of civilians broadly killed in the anti-narcotics campaign between 2016 and 2022 (Reuters). If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison (Reuters).