Former Pres. Rodrigo Duterte Remains Detained under ICC Custody
RODRIGO DUTERTE – The camp of the former Philippine President seeks an urgent “status conference” to the International Criminal Court (ICC) due to the alleged ‘delays’.
Former Pres. Duterte is detained under the custody of the ICC in The Hague, Netherlands for more than 100 days now. He is faced with an accusation of crimes against humanity over the war on drugs of his administration. He was arrested by the Philippine authorities last March 11 upon his arrival in the country from Hong Kong.
The arrest of Duterte elicited different reactions from the Filipino people including several politicians. The former President claimed that everything he did during his term was for the Filipino people and the country. His family take turns in visiting him inside the ICC detention facility in The Hague.
During the recent visit of Vice Pres. Sara Duterte and her son, former Pres. Rodrigo Duterte explained his ICC detention to his 12-year-old grandson saying not all persons inside the detention facility is bad. He claimed that he just did things for his country.
Recently, the Vice President also claimed that her father has spoke about his last wish in case he dies abroad. According to her, former Pres. Rodrigo Duterte wants “to be cremated” if he dies during his ICC detention in The Netherlands. He only wants ashes to be brought home to the country.
Vice Pres. Sara Duterte claimed that her father is pro-cremation while she is not. She also confirmed that the former President is now very thin to the extent of “skin and bones” as he lost his appetite on food. According to her, the Filipino people might have yet to see the former President as thin as he is now.
Recently, the camp of former Pres. Rodrigo Duterte asked the International Criminal Court for an urgent “status conference” due to the alleged delays that cannot be attributed to the defense. Based on a report on GMA News, the camp of the former President cited the following:
- a month passed from the moment that the Defence requested [REDACTED] on 15 April 2025, until they were received on 16 May 2025;
- the [REDACTED] underlying [REDACTED] on 16 May 2025 was only supplied to the Defence on 7 July 2025;
- an [REDACTED] requested more than a month ago [REDACTED] is yet to be [REDACTED]; and
- the [REDACTED] more than a month ago are yet to be received.”
The confirmation of charges hearing is set to start on September 23. Based on the report, the ICC judges will then have up to 60 days to announce their decision if the case against former Pres. Rodrigo Duterte will proceed to the trial or not.
According to Duterte’s camp, the “status conference” will help the chamber determine if the timeline for the confirmation of charges remains reasonable. The request was filed before the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber 1.
Recently, in the Philippines, presidential sister and Senator Imee Marcos filed the “PRRD Bill” that was inspired by the arrest and the transfer of custody of the former President to a foreign authority,