Rodrigo Duterte ruled fit to stand trial by ICC judges

Judges at the International Criminal Court (ICC) said Thursday that former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is competent to stand trial on charges of crimes against humanity.

Duterte walked into the courtroom for his first-ever in-person appearance at a hearing last month after a year of having been detained at The Hague, where the global court is located.

Judges at the court this April confirmed charges against him, accusing him of murder and attempted murder for his alleged role in the killings of dozens of people during his "war on drugs."

Duterte's trial is set to begin on November 30. He faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment if convicted.

Duterte did not speak at a hearing last month but sipped water throughout the proceedings.

His legal team has argued that he suffers from cognitive decline that affects his memory and daily functioning.

ICC judges in January said his health was good enough for him to follow proceedings and requested his presence in court. He had missed several hearings or attended those via videolink.

Now, the ICC's ruling, dated September 28 and made public on Thursday, clears the road for his trial to get underway.

The court ruling said an independent panel of experts found Duterte "has the capacity to understand the charges" and follow the proceedings, including the implication of entering a plea — which he will be asked to do when the trial opens.

He also is mentally fit to understand evidence and discuss his defense with his lawyers, the panel of experts said.

Duterte was arrested last year on accusations of crimes that took place during his "war on drugs" campaign when he was president between 2016 and 2022 and before that, when he was mayor of Davao City.

The charges against him are tied to brutal killings that took place on his watch between November 2011 and March 2019.

Duterte's campaign to wipe out the use of illegal narcotics in the country ended with the deaths of thousands of people as police systematically targeted poor and defenseless people, according to Amnesty International.

Prosecutors alleged that police and hit squad members carried out dozens of murders at Duterte's behest starting in 2011, motivated by the promise of money or to avoid becoming targets themselves.