News Flash
THE HAGUE, April 30, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Rodrigo Duterte's lawyers have filed an appeal in a bid to prevent the Filipino ex-president's crimes against humanity trial at the International Criminal Court, the Hague-based tribunal said on Thursday.
His defence team have appealed against the ICC's decision last week to confirm the charges against Duterte for crimes allegedly committed during his "war on drugs", which is believed to have led to the deaths of thousands of people.
Prosecutors have charged the 81-year-old former Philippines strongman with three counts of crimes against humanity, accusing him of involvement in at least 76 killings linked to the crackdown.
Following a week-long hearing in February, the pre-trial judges concluded there were substantial grounds to believe that Duterte had been behind those murders.
According to an ICC statement Thursday, the Philippines ex-president's lawyers argued that the court had taken an "impermissibly 'flexible' approach to the formulation of the charges".
The court had also failed "to articulate a reasoned evidentiary basis for confirming the charges", his Duterte's lawyers argued.
Should his appeal fail, Duterte will be the first former head of an Asian state to appear before the ICC.
The court tries individuals for the world's most serious crimes, such as war crimes and crimes against humanity.
While the ICC has already appointed a three-judge panel for the case, it will likely take several months before the trial begins.
