Court case

How the Duterte ICC case unfolded

The ICC Prosecutor alleges that Duterte, as Mayor of Davao City and later as President, is criminally responsible for murders and attempted murders committed as part of a widespread and systematic attack against civilians in the context of the anti-drug campaign between 1 November 2011 and 16 March 2019, through indirect co-perpetration, ordering or inducing, and aiding or abetting, according to reports of the confirmation decision.

⚖️ International Criminal Court 🇵🇭 Philippines

7 March 2025 to today · 8 dated events · 11 sources

Where it stands now · as of 30 October 2026

As of 30 October 2026 Duterte is detained in The Hague awaiting trial, with the opening before Trial Chamber III scheduled for 30 November 2026.

Next date
30 November 2026 trial opening, ICC Trial Chamber III

Overview · 7 Mar 2025 to 8 Oct 2026 · click a dot to jump

2025

7 Mar 2025

Legal step

Pre-Trial Chamber I issues a warrant of arrest under seal

International Criminal Court #

11 Mar 2025

Legal step

Warrant is made public and Duterte is arrested in Manila

International Criminal Court Al Jazeera #

12 Mar 2025

Legal step

He is surrendered to the ICC in The Hague

Warrant of arrest for murder as a crime against humanity and surrender to the Court. The warrant was issued under seal on 7 March 2025 and made public on 11 March 2025, when Duterte was arrested in Manila. He was surrendered to the ICC on 12 March 2025 and made his initial appearance on 14 March 2025.

International Criminal Court International Criminal Court Al Jazeera #

2026

23 Feb 2026

Filing

Confirmation of charges hearing opens and runs to 2026-02-27, with Duterte having waived attendance

International Criminal Court #

22 Apr 2026

Turning point

Ruling

Appeals Chamber affirms jurisdiction

Judgment on the defence appeal on jurisdiction. By majority rejected the defence appeal in its entirety and confirmed Pre-Trial Chamber I's decision of 23 October 2025 that the court may exercise jurisdiction over alleged crimes committed in the Philippines from 1 November 2011 to 16 March 2019, while it was a State Party. Judge Lordkipanidze appended a partly dissenting opinion.

International Criminal Court The Philippine Star #

23 Apr 2026

Filing

Pre-Trial Chamber I confirms all charges and commits him to trial

Decision on the confirmation of charges. Unanimously confirmed all charges, three counts of crimes against humanity of murder and attempted murder under article 7(1)(a) of the Rome Statute, finding substantial grounds to believe Duterte is responsible, and committed him to trial. 539 victims were authorised to participate.

International Criminal Court JURIST Manila Bulletin #

27 May 2026

Legal step

Trial Chamber III sets the trial opening for 2026-11-30

Status conference and scheduling decision. Scheduled the opening of the trial for 30 November 2026. The Presidency had constituted Trial Chamber III on 24 April 2026.

International Criminal Court Manila Bulletin #

8 Oct 2026

Legal step

ICC makes public Trial Chamber III's decision of 2026-09-28 finding him fit to stand trial

Decision on fitness to stand trial, dated 28 September 2026 and made public on 8 October 2026. Found Duterte fit to stand trial on the basis of an independent panel of experts, which unanimously found he can understand the charges, follow the proceedings and instruct counsel, and ordered continuous monitoring of his health.

International Criminal Court Al Jazeera Ghana News Agency #

Key facts

Parties	Rodrigo Roa Duterte
Jurisdiction	International Criminal Court, Philippines
Legal status	Pending
Allegation made by	Office of the Prosecutor, International Criminal Court

Legal status

Charges confirmed and accused committed to trial. Confirmation of charges is not a verdict and Duterte is presumed innocent.

The subject's position

Duterte denies the charges, according to AFP, AP and Reuters reporting carried by Al Jazeera. His defence challenged the court's jurisdiction, arguing that the Philippines' 2019 withdrawal from the Rome Statute left no legal basis to proceed, and argued that memory loss made him unfit to stand trial. Both challenges were rejected. In a video posted after his arrest he said he had told the police and military it was his job and that he was responsible, and that the case would be a long legal proceeding, according to Al Jazeera. No plea has yet been entered at trial.

Who is involved

Rodrigo Roa Duterte
President of the Philippines 2016 to 2022 and earlier Mayor of Davao City.

Still unresolved

Whether Duterte is criminally responsible will be decided only at trial.
The schedule and directions for the opening of trial were to be issued by the judges in due course, according to the ICC on 8 October 2026.

Terms explained

Confirmation of charges means the judges found substantial grounds to believe the accused committed the crimes. It is not a finding of guilt.

A statement accepting responsibility for a policy is not a plea of guilty to the charges.

The Philippines' withdrawal from the Rome Statute took effect on 17 March 2019. The Appeals Chamber held by majority that the court keeps jurisdiction over alleged crimes committed before then.

Claims and responses

What was alleged, what the subject said, and what was established, on our sister site.

Read on Claim & Response →

Sources

11 records, ranked by type

1Official record23 Apr 2026
ICC Pre-Trial Chamber I confirms all charges against Rodrigo Roa Duterte and commits him to trial
International Criminal Court · icc-cpi.int
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2Official record22 Apr 2026
ICC Appeals Chamber confirms jurisdiction in Duterte case
International Criminal Court · icc-cpi.int
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3News report23 Apr 2026
ICC confirms charges against Philippines ex-president Duterte
JURIST · jurist.org
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4News report23 Apr 2026
ICC confirms charges vs Duterte, orders trial to proceed
Manila Bulletin · mb.com.ph
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5News report23 Apr 2026
Four grounds of appeal: How ICC rejected Duterte's dismissal pleas
The Philippine Star · philstar.com
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6News report13 Mar 2025
Duterte takes responsibility for Philippines drug war in video message
Al Jazeera · aljazeera.com
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7News report28 May 2026
ICC sets Duterte trial on November 30
Manila Bulletin · mb.com.ph
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8News report9 Oct 2026
Former Philippine President Duterte fit to stand trial, ICC says
Ghana News Agency · gna.org.gh
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9News report13 Oct 2026
Former Philippine President expected to appear in 4th ICC status conference
The Star (Malaysia) · thestar.com.my
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10Official record8 Oct 2026
Situation in the Philippines: Rodrigo Roa Duterte fit to stand trial
International Criminal Court · icc-cpi.int
Open original ↗Archived copy
11News report8 Oct 2026
Philippines ex-President Duterte fit to stand trial, ICC rules
Al Jazeera · aljazeera.com
Open original ↗Archived copy

Last updated 30 October 2026. Spotted an error? See corrections. Every event links to the record it comes from. Allegations are attributed to whoever made them.