Former president Rodrigo Duterte has asked the International Criminal Court’s Appeals Chamber to excuse him from attending the reading of the judgment on his appeal challenging the tribunal’s jurisdiction.
In a letter dated April 10, Duterte said he is waiving his right to be present at the open-court delivery of the ruling set for April 22, 11 a.m Netherlands time (5 p.m Philippine time).
“I hereby instruct my lawyers to hear the aforementioned judgment in my place,” the waiver signed by the former president partly read.
His lawyer, Nicholas Kaufman, formally filed the request in a three-page document made public on April 13, with the waiver annexed.
If granted, this will be the third time Duterte will skip a hearing in his case. He did not attend the November 2025 hearing on his interim release plea and the confirmation of charges hearing last February.
On Oct. 23, 2025, the Pre-Trial Chamber I affirmed the ICC’s jurisdiction over the drug war killings in the Philippines from Nov. 1, 2011 to March 17, 2019, when the country was still a member of the Rome Statute, the treaty that created the tribunal.
The defense appealed, asking the Appeals Chamber to “find that there exists no legal basis” for the continuation of proceedings against Duterte and to order his immediate and unconditional release.
Duterte has been detained at Scheveningen prison in The Hague since March 11, 2025 . He faces three counts of murder related to his anti-drug war campaign as Davao City mayor and president.
The Pre-Trial Chamber I is expected to issue a separate ruling by the end of the month on whether to confirm the charges, seek additional evidence, or dismiss the case.
