ICC postpones hearings for former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte over health concerns

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THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The International Criminal Court announced on Monday it was postponing a pretrial hearing for former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte over concerns about his health.

Lawyers for the 80-year-old filed a motion in August for the proceedings to be delayed indefinitely, saying their client is “not fit to stand trial."

Prosecutors at the ICC accuse Duterte of crimes against humanity for deadly anti-drugs crackdowns he oversaw while in office.

The exact concerns over the former president's health are not specified and the filings in the case are heavily redacted.

A pretrial panel of judges have allowed for a “limited postponement” to give the court time to determine “whether Mr Duterte is fit to follow and participate” in the proceedings.

Rights groups and families of victims hailed Duterte’s arrest in March, and the court’s chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, called it “a crucial step in our continuous work to ensure accountability for the victims of the most serious crimes under ICC jurisdiction.”

Supporters of Duterte criticized the administration of current Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Duterte’s political rival, for arresting and surrendering the former leader to a court whose jurisdiction his supporters dispute.

The ICC has been investigating mass killings in crackdowns overseen by Duterte when he served as mayor of the southern Philippine city of Davao and later as president. Estimates of the death toll of the crackdown during Duterte’s presidential term vary, from the more than 6,000 that the national police have reported up to 30,000 claimed by human rights groups.

The Duterte administration moved to suspend the global court’s investigation in late 2021 by arguing that Philippine authorities were already looking into the same allegations, and the ICC — a court of last resort — therefore didn’t have jurisdiction.

Appeals judges at the ICC ruled in 2023 the investigation could resume and rejected the Duterte administration’s objections. Based in The Hague, the Netherlands, the ICC can step in when countries are unwilling or unable to prosecute suspects in the most serious crimes, including genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.