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ICC sets trial for ex-Philippine president Duterte's crimes against humanity on Nov 30
Duterte, 81, is the first Asian former head of state to face trial at the International Criminal Court. He is charged of three counts of crimes against humanity for his so-called 'war on drugs'
- PUBLISHED: Wed 27 May 2026, 5:34 PM UPDATED: Wed 27 May 2026, 6:06 PM
Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s formal trial will start on on November 30, the International Criminal Court (ICC) Trial Chamber III on Wednesday has decided.
Duterte, 81, is the first Asian former head of state to face trial at the ICC. He is charged of three counts of crimes against humanity for his alleged involvement in at least 76 murders between 2011 and 2018 during his so-called 'war on drugs'.
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Philippine human rights groups said the bloody campaign systematically targeted small-time drug users and dealers, resulting in thousands of deaths. Duterte, however, has consistently denied the allegations. He has been in detention at the ICC since March 2025.
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During its first status conference for trial preparation on Wednesday, ICC’s Trial Chamber III adopted procedures necessary to facilitate “fair and expeditious conduct of proceedings.”
Detailed practical information for the trial, including webstreaming links and possible attendance, will be circulated closer to the trial date, the ICC said.
Filipino translation for accessibility
Among the surprise issues raised in the conference was the Prosecution’s request that interpreters be secured for the trial in order for the proceedings be broadcast in Filipino and made more “accessible” to Filipinos.
“There is a lot of interest in this case in the Philippines. I know that’s not the main point and we don’t always do that, but it would be much, much better for the population and the victims in this case if it could be broadcast in Tagalog or the other [Filipino] languages,” chief prosecutor Julian Nicholls said.
He explained: “Part of what we do here is make it accessible to the population in the situation in question.”
Nicholls then proposed workarounds to difficulties in looking for able interpreters, such as calling English-speaking witnesses first.
ICC Trial Chamber III Judge Joanna Korner, in turn, expressed surprise, saying she is under the impression that most Filipinos speak and understand English well.
But Nicholls insisted, arguing that some of the population from which many of the victims in Duterte’s war-on-drugs do not actually speak English well.
“Some of the poorer communities where many of the victims are from do not have a good command,” he said.
Will Bato dela Rosa join Duterte soon?
Duterte and his co-conspirators are accused of masterminding and implementing a bloody anti-drug campaign that killed at least 7,000 victims to as many as 30,000 per civil society reckoning.
Three sets of sample cases – from the time when he was Davao City Mayor in 2011 up to the time when he ordered the Philippines’ withdrawal from The Rome Statute in 2018 – had been confirmed by the ICC last month.
The ICC has revealed that it has also issued an arrest order against Duterte’s former chief of police, Senator Ronald 'Bato' dela Rosa. The Ferdinand Marcos Jr. government has announced its manhunt of dela Rosa who may soon join Duterte at The Hague.
Trial Chamber III is composed of Presiding Judge Joanna Korner, Judge Keebong Paek and Judge Nicolas Guillou.
