Metro Manila, Philippines – Former President Rodrigo Duterte appeared before judges of the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Tuesday, Oct. 13, for another hearing ahead of his crimes against humanity trial scheduled to begin on Nov. 30.
The hearing marked Duterte’s second courtroom appearance during the status conferences, following his attendance at the Sept. 16 proceedings.
His appearance also came days after the ICC made public a ruling finding him fit to stand trial, based on an assessment conducted by independent medical experts.
During the fourth status conference in The Hague, judges discussed preparations for the upcoming trial, including the schedule for opening statements, the presentation of witnesses and the first block of evidence expected in December.
The proceedings also addressed outstanding issues involving the disclosure of documents, the prosecution’s proposed agreed facts and the volume of material that both sides must review before trial.
Duterte’s defense team and ICC prosecutors disagreed over the handling of thousands of records related to killings during the government’s anti-drug campaign, with defense lawyers questioning the reliability of the prosecution’s figures.
The prosecution maintained that its analysts had manually examined the records and defended its proposed count of deaths during police anti-drug operations.
Duterte faces three counts of crimes against humanity involving alleged murders and attempted murders committed during his time as Davao City mayor and Philippine president.
The former president remains in ICC custody in The Hague as he awaits trial.
