Duterte to skip ICC pre-trial hearings over health

Former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte will not attend pre-trial hearings next week at the International Criminal Court (ICC), the court confirmed on Friday.

Judges approved a request from Duterte’s defense to waive his right to attend, even though the reasons given were described as “speculative.” His lawyers cited cognitive decline as the cause for his absence, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.

Last month, the ICC ruled that Duterte, 80, was fit to participate in hearings, after independent medical experts confirmed he could understand and engage in his case. Duterte led the Philippines from 2016 to 2022 and was arrested in The Hague last March.

ICC prosecutors accuse him of creating and arming death squads during his war on drugs, which resulted in thousands of deaths. Duterte has consistently argued that police acted in self-defense.

Next week’s hearings aim to confirm charges of murder as a crime against humanity before the case can proceed to trial. Police report 6,200 killings under Duterte’s anti-drug operations, while activists and ICC prosecutors estimate the death toll could be as high as 30,000.

News.Az 

By Aysel Mammadzada