ICC rejects Duterte bid for interim release 

Metro Manila, Philippines – The International Criminal Court (ICC) Appeals Chamber reaffirmed its decision to keep former President Rodrigo Duterte at The Hague Penitentiary Institution, denying his camp’s plea for interim release on Friday, Nov. 28.

“Having rejected the three grounds of appeal, the appeals chamber unanimously confirms the impugned decision,” the tribunal said in its decision that upheld the Pre-Trial Chamber I ruling.

Duterte skipped the presentation of the ruling, opting to waive his right to attend.

The decision means that the court will now proceed to schedule the confirmation of charges hearing which was postponed in September after Duterte’s counsel said he was unfit to stand trial. 

The appeal filed in October stated that the Pre-Trial Chamber erred by “reliance on irrelevant considerations,” failing to “give appropriate weight to relevant facts,” and did not properly consider “humanitarian considerations” on Duterte’s end when it rejected his interim release plea.

In rejecting the first ground, the appeals chamber said it took into account the factor of “loyal” Duterte supporters and its impact on the leader’s inclination to interfere with the investigation.

Rejecting the second ground, the chamber said it also considered the possibility of the former leader as a flight risk. It also rejected the appeal on health grounds. 

The defense said Duterte has “neither the desire nor capacity to flee or to return to a life of power or politics” and cited his “proven weak state of mental and physical health.”

The court rejected Duterte’s request for interim release filed in September, citing the leader’s opposition to his arrest, his family’s demands of return to the Philippines, and Vice President Sara Duterte’s remarks to spring her father from the ICC detention facility. 

Duterte’s counsel also challenged the ICC jurisdiction over him with a separate 21-page appeal filed on Nov. 14. 

The former president’s arrest on March 12 hogged headlines as he was immediately flown to the Netherlands to be detained at The Hague Penitentiary Institution.

He is facing charges for 49 counts of murder and attempted murder tied to his controversial anti-drug campaign enforced during his tenure as Davao City mayor to president.

Police reports stated that the drug war led to over 6,000 deaths but human rights groups said over 30,000 killings were recorded in Duterte’s drug war.