The Hague – The International Criminal Court has declared former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte fit to stand trial and scheduled a confirmation of charges hearing for February 23, marking a major escalation in the court's investigation into his brutal war on drugs.
The ICC Pre-Trial Chamber's decision ends speculation about whether Duterte's health issues—including reported myasthenia gravis, a chronic neuromuscular disorder—would delay proceedings. The court determined the 80-year-old former president is capable of participating in legal proceedings.
The February hearing will determine whether evidence collected by ICC prosecutors is sufficient to warrant a full trial on crimes against humanity charges. Prosecutors allege Duterte's anti-drug campaign resulted in the extrajudicial killing of thousands of Filipinos between 2016 and 2022, primarily targeting poor urban residents.
Duterte withdrew the Philippines from the ICC in 2019, but the court maintains jurisdiction over alleged crimes committed before the withdrawal took effect. The former president has alternately defied and embraced the investigation, at times daring the ICC to come arrest him while acknowledging responsibility for the killings.
The decision poses a diplomatic challenge for current President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who must balance international legal obligations against domestic political considerations. Duterte's daughter, Sara Duterte, serves as Vice President, complicating any government cooperation with The Hague.
Regional implications for ASEAN extend beyond the Philippines. The ICC's assertion of jurisdiction despite withdrawal sets a precedent that concerns other member states with checkered human rights records. Indonesia, Thailand, and Myanmar—none of which are ICC members—are watching closely.
For Southeast Asia, the case tests the limits of ASEAN's non-interference principle. The regional bloc has historically avoided confronting member states' internal affairs, but international criminal accountability operates on different rules.
Ten countries, 700 million people, one region—and for the families of those killed in Manila's slums and Davao's neighborhoods, February 23 represents the first formal reckoning for a campaign that treated drug suspects as targets rather than citizens deserving due process.
