Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte appears publicly in ICC for 1st time

THE HAGUE, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte appeared publicly at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague for the first time on Wednesday for a pre-trial hearing.

Photo: AP

The 81-year-old Duterte appeared in the courtroom wearing a black suit and white shirt and listening through translation earphones. He did not speak during the hearing, according to a live broadcast of the proceedings. His initial appearance before the ICC took place via video link on March 14, 2025.

The hearing, presided over by ICC Judge Joanna Korner, was a status hearing for the parties and was expected to address outstanding matters and adopt procedures necessary for the fair and expeditious conduct of the proceedings before the scheduled opening of the trial on Nov. 30, 2026.

On April 23, the ICC confirmed all three counts of "crimes against humanity" against Duterte and committed him to trial.

Duterte served as president of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022. He was arrested and transferred to ICC custody in March 2025 under a warrant related to his anti-drug campaign, a move he has challenged.