Duterte Appears Before ICC Judges Amid Health Concerns

Judges to weigh arguments on health before November trial Duterte‘s lawyers say cognitive decline makes him unfit ICC prosecutors say crackdown may have killed upto 30,000 Duterte charged with crimes against humanity for drug crackdown murders THE HAGUE, Netherlands (UPDATED 5:15 p.m.) — Former Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte appeared in public on Wednesday for the first time since being transferred to the ICC, standing before judges in The Hague. The judges are expected to weigh arguments on the former president's health before the November trial begins. Duterte's lawyers have argued that his cognitive decline makes him unfit to stand trial, while ICC prosecutors maintain that his bloody war on drugs may have killed up to 30,000 people. Duterte was charged with crimes against humanity for the alleged murders during the drug war. The former president, who ruled the Philippines from 2016 to 2022, has been accused of orchestrating a brutal crackdown on drug users and dealers that killed thousands. The Philippines officially withdrew from the ICC in 2018, but the court has maintained it has jurisdiction over alleged crimes committed before the country's departure.