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Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is seen on a screen in the courtroom during his first appearance before the International Criminal Court (ICC) on charge of crimes against humanity over his deadly crackdown on narcotics, in The Hague on March 14, 2025.
AFP / Peter Dejong / Pool
MANILA, Philippines — Former President Rodrigo Duterte’s counsel has asked the International Criminal Court (ICC) Pre-Trial Chamber I to hold a status conference before July 25 to tackle unresolved matters ahead of the confirmation of charges hearing.
In a filing made public on Wednesday, July 16, Duterte’s camp said some issues remain pending and need to be addressed.
The status conference, they said, would help “determine the most efficient way to proceed” on certain matters, which were redacted from the document.
The defense urged the court to hold the conference before 5:30 p.m. (Netherlands time) on July 25, ahead of the tribunal’s scheduled summer recess. The ICC is set to resume sessions on August 19, according to its calendar.
Duterte’s counsel identified four specific issues concerning matters they believe the Pre-Trial Chamber I has yet to resolve, as well as documents or items they have not yet obtained. They, however, were redacted in the filed document.
Among the defense’s publicly known requests over the past months are Duterte’s interim release, the disqualification of two judges for alleged bias on the issue of jurisdiction and a challenge to the ICC’s authority to exercise jurisdiction over the case after the Philippines' withdrawal.
“The Defence respectfully requests that the Chamber adjudicate on this submission as a matter of urgency, given the importance of the issues raised herein,” the July 15 filing read.
What is a status conference? Under Rule 121 of the ICC’s Rules of Procedure and Evidence, a status conference is held before the confirmation of charges hearing to ensure that all disclosed information has been properly shared between the parties.
“Chambers are encouraged to hold status conferences to their fullest extent to ensure a streamlined and efficient pre-trial phase,” the filing read.
The defense, citing the ICC Chambers Practice Manual, contended that the court should maximize the use of status conferences to issue oral orders and provide clarifications on procedural matters, instead of awaiting written rulings.
This is because status conferences cover procedural requests raised by the parties, which can be presented, debated and decided upon immediately by the court.
Delays? Duterte’s counsel, Nicholas Kaufman, claimed that certain information — details of which were also redacted — had “been encumbered by administrative hurdles and subsequently delayed for at least the last six weeks.”
“The delay in the receipt of [REDACTED], and the continued holdup in [REDACTED], foreshadows similar setbacks in the coming months,” the filing said.
This underscores the urgent need for a status conference to allow the parties to suggest, and the Pre-Trial Chamber to decide, [REDACTED],” it added.
The confirmation of charges hearing is scheduled for September 23, where the prosecution will present evidence justifying a trial and the defense will argue to drop the charges.
Duterte has been detained in the ICC’s detention facility in The Hague, Netherlands since March 12. He is facing crimes against humanity charges over his bloody war on drugs, which resulted in around 7,000 extrajudicial killings according to government data.
