Philippines' Duterte seen in person for first time at International Criminal Court

Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte made his first in‑person appearance before the International Criminal Court in The Hague, where he is to stand trial on charges of alleged crimes against humanity. He faces charges relating to his bloody war on drugs, a campaign that allegedly led to the summary execution of tens of thousands of small‑time dealers. The 81‑year‑old wore a dark suit and a white shirt with no tie on Wednesday, the first time he has been seen in person since his arrest in Manila 18 months ago. Until now he had appeared before the tribunal via video link and subsequently missed several hearings. The ICC scheduled a hearing on Wednesday after Duterte’s lawyers argued that his declining health rendered him unfit to stand trial. The first day of proceedings is set for November. The drug war was the centrepiece of Duterte’s presidency, which lasted from 2016 to 2022. He argued that order and discipline were indispensable to turning the economy around. The ICC is examining killings from 1 November 2011, when Duterte was mayor of Davao, a sprawling southern metropolis, to 16 March 2019, when he withdrew the Philippines’ membership from the ICC. Duterte’s lawyer, Peter Haynes, told the tribunal that his client’s case suffers from "significant representation impairment", rendering him unable to work with his legal team; prosecutors disputed that claim. In 2019, while still president, Duterte disclosed that he was suffering from myasthenia gravis, an autoimmune disorder that causes nerve malfunction. At age 71 in 2016, he was the oldest person ever elected president of the Philippines. Duterte is proceeding to the ICC as his household becomes embroiled in a high‑stakes dynastic struggle for power in the Philippines. His daughter, Vice‑President Sara Duterte, has feuded spectacularly with President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos. The collapse of the Duterte‑Marcos alliance, which had secured them a landslide victory in the 2022 elections, set the stage for Rodrigo Duterte’s arrest at Manila airport in March 2025.