The International Criminal Court , ICC, on Wednesday rejected a motion to dismiss a case against former president of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte.
Duterte was arraigned for his alleged role in the murder of dozens of people during his anti-drug campaign.The defense had questioned the court’s jurisdiction in the case.
The judges ruled that the court in The Hague has the jurisdiction to conduct criminal proceedings, upholding an earlier decision.
Prosecutors accuse the 81-year-old of crimes against humanity in the state-led war on drugs, specifically murder and attempted murder in 78 cases.
The judges are assessing whether there is sufficient evidence to hold a trial. A decision is expected by the end of the month.
Duterte was president of the Philippines from 2016-2022. Human rights organizations estimate that his ruthless campaign against drug-related crime cost up to 30,000 lives. Suspects were often summarily executed without trial.
The former president was arrested in Manila in March 2025 on the basis of an ICC warrant and flown to the Netherlands.
He dismissed the charges as baseless.
The ruling confirms that the ICC retains jurisdiction over the case concerning alleged crimes against humanity linked to extrajudicial killings during Duterte’s anti-drug campaign in the Philippines.
Also Read: ICC to hear Rodrigo Duterte’s case
It follows an earlier Pre-Trial Chamber decision that had already upheld the court’s authority over the case.
The Appeals Chamber decision implies that the jurisdictional challenges have been dismissed.
Judges voted separately on different legal issues, with unanimous decisions on some points and a dissenting vote on at least one aspect of the ruling.
The dissenting opinion was issued by Judge Gocha Lordkipanidze of Georgia, who had also dissented in a previous jurisdiction ruling in 2023.
The decision was closely followed by victims of the drug war in the Philippines, many of whom watched the proceedings remotely.
With the jurisdiction issue resolved, the next stage of proceedings will focus on the confirmation of charges against Duterte.
The ICC Pre-Trial Chamber held confirmation hearings on February 27 and is expected to issue its decision by the end of April, following a 60-day deliberation period.
The chamber can either confirm some or all charges, request additional evidence, or decline to confirm the case.
Duterte faces three counts of crimes against humanity of murder in relation to at least 78 alleged victims during his presidency.
If the charges are confirmed, the case will proceed to trial before the ICC in The Hague.
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