THE International Criminal Court (ICC) has postponed the scheduled commencement of the confirmation hearing in the case against former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte.
In a statement on September 8, the Pre-Trial Chamber 1 of the ICC said it ordered the postponement of the September 23, 2025 hearing following a request from Duterte’s counsel because he “is not fit to stand trial.”
“Following a request from the Defense of Mr. Duterte for an indefinite adjournment of the proceedings alleging that Mr. Duterte is not fit to stand trial, the majority of the Chamber considered that a limited postponement of the hearing on the confirmation of charges was warranted to allow sufficient time to adjudicate the request and related matters,” it said.
“The Chamber will, if applicable, set a specific date once it has addressed such outstanding matters,” it added.
The purpose of the confirmation of charges hearing is to determine whether there is sufficient evidence to establish substantial grounds to believe that the person committed each of the crimes charged.
Duterte is detained at the ICC facility in The Hague, Netherlands over alleged crime against humanity in relation to the implementation of his drug war, which resulted in the death of over 6,000 drug personalities. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)