Former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte lost his latest bid to spring free from jail in The Hague, The Netherlands.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) Appeals Chamber rejected Duterte’s petition over jurisdiction, discarding all of his four grounds of appeal.
The ICC said in its judgment presentation on Wednesday its investigations on the bloody war on drugs campaign in the Philippines started as early as 2018 before Duterte ordered the country’s withdrawal from the Rome Statute in 2019.
It added that a country’s withdrawal cannot be used as a means to evade investigation and prosecution as it would undermine the Statute’s purpose, which is to curb impunity.
The former strongman, accused of having ordered the killing of as many as 30,000 suspected illegal drug dependents from 2012 to 2022, will remain in jail at the ICC detention unit at Scheveningen to await the Court’s confirmation of charges next week.
Duterte was arrested on March 11, 2025 by virtue of an arrest warrant by Interpol.
Victims’ kin rejoice
Families of Duterte’s anti-illegal drugs campaign rejoiced at ICC’s decision both in Europe and in the Philippines.
The Duterte Panagutin Network – Europe welcomed ICC’s affirmation of its jurisdiction over the case, saying they are sure that the Duterte trial shall proceed. “For the families of victims and their supporters, this is a clear message: accountability does not expire and justice knows no borders”, the group’s convenor Patricia Enriquez said.
Bagong Alyansang Makabayan-Europe spokesperson Lean Jimenez said: “After all the delays and maneuvers by the Duterte camp to try to evade justice, we can now say with finality that the trial will proceed.” Jimenez added that Duterte’s named co-conspirators in the killings, such as Senators Ronald de la Rosa and Christopher Lawrence Go as well as other high-ranking police and government officials, must now be arrested.
In Manila, members of the Rise Up for Rights and for Life group were in tears at the end of ICC’s judgment presentation they viewed online.
Amy Jane Lee, who lost a husband at the height of the killings in 2017, said she could hardly believe that justice is about to catch up to Duterte. “We would have wanted him (Duterte) to be tried here in the country. But we are grateful that he will be tried nonetheless,” Lee said.
Human rights group Karapatan announced that the ICC is set to present its decision on the February confirmation of charges hearings next week. “We are 99.9 per cent sure that the ICC would confirm the crimes against humanity charges against Duterte,” Karapatan secretary general Cristina Palabay said. # (Raymund B. Villanueva)
