ICC Set To Decide on Interim Release Plea of Former Pres. Rodrigo Duterte Today, November 28
DUTERTE – The former President signed a waiver of his rights to personally appear at the interim release hearing of the International Criminal Court (ICC) today.
Last month, the International Criminal Court or ICC rejected the interim release plea of former Pres. Rodrigo Roa Duterte. It was a unanimous decision from all three (3) judges of the Pre-Trial Chamber. In its decision, the judges cited the supposed need for the continued detention the former Chief Executive to ensure his attendance to the hearing.
The former President is faced with three (3) counts of murder as alleged “crimes against humanity” filed by the ICC prosecutor. Aside from junking his interim release plea, the foreign court also denied his camp’s challenge to its jurisdiction. Duterte’s camp filed an appeal for his interim release.
Former Pres. Rodrigo Roa Duterte is detained under the custody of the ICC since March. He was arrested by the Philippine authorities at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) last March 11 and was detained for several hours at the Villamor Air Base. On the same day that he was arrested, the former President was flown out of the country for the transfer of his custody to the foreign court in The Hague, Netherlands.
Duterte’s former spokesman Harry Roque previously claimed that they held vigils for the interim release of the former President. The International Criminal Court is set to decide on the appeal of the camp of the former Chief Executive today, November 28. Based on a report of ABS-CBN News, the Appeals Chamber will announce its oral judgment at 10:30 a.m. in The Hague or 5:30 p.m. in Manila time today.
However, former Pres. Rodrigo Duterte will not personally attend the ICC hearing on his interim release plea. Based on the report, the former Chief Executive signed a waiver of his right to appear at the inquiry where the ICC will deliver its judgment on his camp’s appeal to the Pre-Trial Chamber I over his denied interim release plea.
“I, Rodrigo Roa Duterte, respectfully waive my right to appear before the Appeals Chamber on 28 November 2025 at 10:30 and, consequently, instruct my lawyers to hear the judgment that will be rendered on my appeal against Pre-Trial Chamber I’s decision on interim release – ICC-01/21-01/25-282,” the waiver signed by the former President read.
Based on the report, former Pres. Rodrigo Roa Duterte will be represented by his legal counsel, British-Israeli lawyer Nicholas Kaufman, at the ICC hearing for his interim release plea. Kaufman previously claimed that the former President is allegedly unfit to stand trial and it resulted to the foreign court postponing the confirmation of charges hearing of the former President which was set last September.
Amid the continued ICC detention of the former President, Ombudsman Boying Remulla claimed that he allegedly has a “copy” of the ICC arrest warrant against Senator Bato dela Rosa. The Senator was the first chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP) during the tenure of the former President.