ICC Trial Chamber III Presiding Judge Joanna Korner said that the trial should be held quickly and efficiently.
MANILA – The International Criminal Court (ICC) Trial Chamber III set the date of former president Rodrigo Duterte’s trial on November 30.
This was announced during the first status conference on May 27, Wednesday. Duterte is accused of crimes against humanity during his term as Davao City mayor and President.
During the conference, ICC Trial Chamber III Presiding Judge Joanna Korner said that the trial should be held quickly and efficiently.
At the ICC’s first status conference in The Hague, proposed trial dates, witness presentations, disclosure schedules, interpretation issues, and the handling of documentary evidence were discussed together with defense, prosecution, the Common Representative of Victims team as well as the ICC registry.
Duterte waived his right to attend the first status conference.
During the hearing’s first two sessions, the trial date was not yet determined because the Trial Chamber III opted to wait for the reports of the accredited experts as regards Duterte’s health.
But in the third session which commenced after the break, the Trial Chamber announced that the trial starts on November 30.
Korner said that the trial would be held daily, five days a week, until the court’s Christmas recess, subject to any changes based on reports about Duterte’s fitness to stand trial.
Duterte’s new lead counsel Peter Haynes also made his first appearance at the status conference. He replaced Nicholas Kaufman.
At the hearing, Haynes suggested holding the trial in January pending all preparations before the trial. He said that the interpretation services for Duterte may not be ready until January.
Common Legal Representative of Victims Team, Joel Butuyan and Paolina Massida. (Photo from International Criminal Court)
“We will be ready for whenever you want it to start, but our anxiety is that that should not be a date which leaves us with perhaps one or two months after the end of prosecution disclosure. It should be a minimum of three (months),” Haynes said.
The Trial Chamber Presiding Judge replied, “But there are pressing reasons which mandate that we really should start this trial as soon as possible, which is basically the health of your client.”
Representative of the victims led by Paolina Massida stressed that for the families of the victims, it is important that the trial start sooner.
“They are amenable to start this trial. November 30 seems to them, at the moment, still a reasonable period of time. January 2027? No. For them, it’s too long,” she said.
The prosecution intends to call 60 to 70 witnesses, including approximately 31 insider witnesses.
Language was also discussed at the hearing as many of the victims’ families would want to understand the proceedings.
The prosecution said accessibility to Filipinos following the case was important, particularly because many victims and affected communities may not fully understand English.
“There’s a lot of interest in this case in the Philippines,” Nicholls said, adding that broadcasting proceedings in Filipino languages would help victims and the public follow the trial.
The Trial Chamber III warned parties against flooding the court record with unnecessary materials and stressed that important documents would likely require more formal admission procedures.
On March 12, 2025, Duterte was surrendered to the ICC. He appeared before the court two days later (March 14, 2025). However, he did not stop questioning the ICC jurisdiction. He also did not appear at the confirmation of charges hearing from February 23 to 27 before the Pre-Trial Chamber I.
Duterte did not stop appealing his case to the ICC which were also repeatedly rejected by the court.
On April 23, Pre-Trial Chamber I unanimously confirmed all the charges of three counts of crimes against humanity brought by the Prosecution against Duterte and committed him to trial before a Trial Chamber. On April 24, the ICC Presidency constituted Trial Chamber III to be in charge of the Duterte case.
The Duterte Panagutin Network in The Netherlands welcomed the setting of the date of trial, saying that the “long-awaited development” is an important step toward justice for the victims and their families.
They called for the arrest and prosecution of all co-perpetrators involved in Duterte’s war on drugs like Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa along with other officials who played direct roles in planning, executing, or covering up crimes.
They asked the Filipino community in The Netherlands and across Europe to rally and mobilize on November 30.
The group said that the upcoming trial date is not only a legal milestone for the Filipino people and the families of drug war victims but also a political and moral moment for those who continue to seek justice for the victims of the drug war. (DAA)
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