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| Duterte appeared in a dark suit and sported dark hair (pool photo) |
Jailed former Philippine president Rodrigo D. Duterte appeared in person at the International Criminal Court (ICC) at The Hague Wednesday for the first time since his initial appearance in March 2025.
Duterte,
81, wore a dark suit and sported a full head of dark hair as he listened intently
during the third status conference before his trial, which is due to begin in
November. He did not speak, but waved to supporters seated at the public
gallery.
But before
that, the court will have to decide on whether the former leader is fit to
stand trial. His lawyers argue that he suffers from significant memory loss and
cognitive decline, making him unable to assist his legal team.
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| PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE |
However,
ICC prosecutors and a court-appointed medical panel maintain that he has the
mental capacity to understand the charges and follow the proceedings.
The former strongman who ruled the Philippines from 2016 to
2022 is being held at the ICC on three counts of crimes against humanity for
murder and attempted murder, covering 49 incidents and at least 76 victims
during his tenure as Davao City mayor and later as president.
At
Wednesday’s conference ICC presiding judge Joanna Korner stressed the need to
proceed with the trial as quickly as possible, and said the court is not
inclined to adopt the usual practice of holding blocks of hearings with breaks
and sitting hours.
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| Basahin ang detalye! |
Instead, Judge
Korner said the court intends to sit through the hearing from November 30 until
the middle of December, just before the Christmas break.
Haynes
said the prosecution has now listed nearly 20,000 items as evidence, compared
to about 5,000 at the confirmation stage.
“And what
has been dumped in the Registry is 62,500 exhibits. That 324,000 pages of
evidence and over 1,000 video and audio files which run to many thousands of
hours. And they’re in a terrible mess,” he added.
Meanwhile,
protest actions were held by various groups near the ICC as the hearing of
Duterte’s case went underway. Several groups of Filipino workers and residents
in the Netherlands held protests either in support, or to condemn Duterte.
Filipino
rights groups like Migrante and Bayan Europe called for Duterte to be held
accountable for the thousands of people killed under his “Oplan Tokhang”
operations.
Conversely,
about Duterte loyalists gathered outside the ICC and in cities across Mindanao to
protest his detention and demand his release, calling the proceedings biased.
