Duterte’s trial at the ICC starts on November 30, 2026

DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 27 May 2026) – The Prosecution and Defense in the case of  “The Prosecutor vs Rodrigo Roa Duterte” at the International Criminal Court (ICC) have six months to prepare for the trial that will begin on November 30 this year, and will run five times a week until it goes on recess for Christmas.

Duterte, former President of the Philippines (2016 to 2022) and before that a long-time Davao City mayor, is accused of crimes against humanity before the ICC in relation to his bloody ‘war on drugs’ between November 2011 and March 2019 while the Philippines was a signatory to the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the ICC. 

Duterte ordered the withdrawal of the Philippines as signatory in March 2018. The withdrawal took effect in March 2019 . 

The ICC’s Trial Chamber III scheduled the opening of the trial following the Status Conference  on Wednesday at the ICC in The Hague in the Netherlands. 

The Trial Chamber III is composed of Presiding Judge Joanna Korner of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Judge Keebong Paek of the Republic of Korea and Judge Nicolas Guillou of France. 

^{Judge Joanna Korner of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (center) is the Presiding Judge of the ICC’s Trial Chamber III. The other judges are Judge Keebong Paek of the Republic of Korea (L) and Judge Nicolas Guillou of France (R). Photo courtesy of the International Criminal Court}

Duterte was arrested on March 11 at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, upon arrival from Hong Kong. He was flown to The Hague that same night and has since been detained there. 

November 30, 2026 is 20 months since Duterte’s arrest. 

Presiding Judge Korner said the trial “will run on a daily basis until the judicial recess, or thereabouts.”

“We have to wait for the report on the accused’s fitness, and they will specifically be asked to, if they find him fit to stand trial, about the proposed sitting. The chamber would obviously like to sit subject to witness problems five days a week, but we note the recommendations that were made for the confirmation hearing, and so it may well be that we’ll have to adjust it if we have to have a day for the accused not to be in court each week,” she said. 

During the confirmation of charges in February, the sessions were held Monday to Friday but with a one-day break. 

Korner said the one day for the accused not to be in court can be used to “deal with any administrative matters or any legal arguments that are due to take place, subject, of course, to the accused waiving his right to be present.”

“So, effectively, at the moment, as I say, subject to what reports we get, it should be taken by all parties, participants in the registry, that we will be sitting continuously until the recess at Christmas,” Korner said. 

The Trial Chamber also noted that arrangements must be made to ensure that during the opening statements on November 30, there is an interpreter because “I think it’s important that opening statements can be understood by those in the Philippines.” 

The Trial Chamber’s deadline for the prosecution to submit its provisional list of witnesses and evidence in on June 29 while the deadline for its trial brief and  final list of witnesses and list of evidence relied upon in the trial, is August 31, a full three months before the trial. 

The trial brief of the legal representative of the victims is due on September 28 while the Defense’s indication of issues and defense is due on October 30. 

The dates for the next status conferences are June 23 and July 14. 

Last month, the ICC’s Pre-Trial Chamber confirmed the charges against Duterte and committed him to a Trial Chamber for trial on the charges as confirmed. The Pre-Trial Chamber said Duterte is “criminally responsible” for Count 1: Murder as a crime against humanity in Davao City during the Mayoral period of at least the 19 victims between 2013 and around June 2016; Count 2: Murder as a crime against humanity of ‘High-Value Targets’ in locations across the Philippines during the Presidential period of at least the 14 victims between around July 2016 and July 2017; and Count 3: Murder and attempted murder as crimes against humanity in barangay clearance operations in locations across the Philippines during the Presidential period of at least the 45 victims (43 murders and two attempted murders) between around July 2016 and September 2018.

The ICC had earlier said these cases are merely a representative sample of the killings during Duterte’s ‘war on drugs.’  (Carolyn O. Arguillas / MindaNews)