Photo courtesy: AFP
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has postponed the confirmation hearing for former President Rodrigo Duterte due to health concerns, on Monday, Sept. 8, 2025.
The 80-year-old Duterte was set to appear before the ICC on Sept. 23 for charges of crimes against humanity linked to his administration’s ‘war on drugs’.
Duterte’s lawyer, Nicholas Kaufman, said the former president is not ‘fit to stand trial’. Judges granted a limited delay to review his condition. The hearing was postponed until further notice.
“The majority of the chamber hereby decides to vacate the date of 23 September 2025 and to postpone the hearing on the confirmation of charges until further notice,” ICC Pre-Trial Chamber I Judge María del Socorro Flores Liera said.
Kaufman filed the motion on Aug. 18, asking for an indefinite adjournment of all proceedings. The chamber clarified that only the confirmation of charges was postponed, not the entire case. No new date has been set, but the court said the delay was limited to allow time to assess the request.
In a statement on Tuesday, Sept. 9, Kaufman said Duterte’s condition was ‘progressively deteriorating’, affecting his ability to review evidence and instruct his lawyers. He added the plea was supported by independent medical experts.
“Ever since his precipitous and traumatic rendition, the Defence has been struggling with the former President’s progressively deteriorating medical situation which has affected his ability to assimilate the evidence and to give his lawyers proper instructions,” said Kaufman.
“Out of respect for the former President’s legacy, the Defence would not raise such a plea were it not supported by leading medical experts including one not selected by the Defence,” he added.
The defense had also argued Duterte could not evade proceedings and sought interim release, as well as dismissal of the case for lack of jurisdiction.
Both the prosecution and the Office of Public Counsel for Victims opposed the adjournment but were overruled.
Victims’ lawyer Kristina Conti criticized the decision, saying Duterte could have waived his right to attend hearings and allowed his counsel to represent him.
“Both the prosecution and the victims teams are ready for the hearing. Victims have applied and are currently being assessed if qualified to participate in the case,” she said.
Families of drug war victims also expressed disappointment. “We expected that Duterte would do this, but the fact that he was able to convince the pretrial chamber to postpone indefinitely is scary,” Conti told AFP.