The International Criminal Court (ICC) will open the trial of former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on November 30, 2026.
ICC judges scheduled the trial date after the first status conference, held on May 27, 2026. During the status conference, case-related issues are discussed before the trial officially starts.
Presiding judge Joanna Korner announced that once the trial begins in November, the court will be in session daily. Duterte must appear in person at every hearing.
Peter Haynes and Kate Gibson took over as Duterte’s new lawyers, replacing Nicholas Kaufman and Dov Jacobs at the May 27, 2026, ICC hearing.
Haynes requested a new fitness review for Duterte, arguing that the upcoming trial will be more demanding than pre-trial proceedings.
Korner initially suggested postponing the trial schedule until a medical examiner confirmed Duterte’s fitness for trial, but the trial chamber eventually announced its final ruling on the trial dates.
Judge Korner pointed out that the prosecutors had submitted an overwhelming amount of evidence – up to 70 witnesses and 197 speeches of the former President. In response, trial lawyer Julian Nicholls agreed to narrow down the materials for the court.
Lawyers representing victims of Duterte’s so called “war on drugs” believe that thousands more individuals may join the trial, adding to the 539 already recognized during the pre-trial phase. Legal representative Gilbert Andres said these new participants will continue to be acknowledged as the trial unfolds.
The next status conferences are scheduled for June 23 and July 14, 2026.
Duterte has been detained at The Hague since his arrest in Manila in March 2025. He faces three counts of crimes against humanity of murder and attempted murder linked to his administration’s bloody “war on drugs” and alleged involvement with the “Davao Death Squad,” a vigilante group of hitmen.
According to human rights groups, tens of thousands of Filipinos were killed in the campaign, including children as young as three. Government records reported at least 6,000 deaths until the end of Duterte’s administration in 2022. The Philippine Commission on Human Rights, however, estimated in 2018 over 27,000 killings.
Photo © philippinenbüro e.V.