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Composite photo shows the facade of the International Criminal Court and former President Rodrigo Duterte.
Facebook / International Criminal Court; House of Representatives / Release
MANILA, Philippines — The International Criminal Court (ICC) will decide on April 22 whether former president Rodrigo Duterte’s case for crimes against humanity can move forward or be blocked on jurisdictional grounds.
Duterte’s camp has argued that the Philippines’ withdrawal from the ICC two years before the official investigation strips the court of authority over him.
The pre-trial chamber rejected this claim in October 2025, saying jurisdiction remains because the alleged crimes were committed while the Philippines was still a member of the Rome Statute.
The defense immediately filed an appeal, which now awaits the final ruling from the Appeals Chamber.
The panel set to decide includes Presiding Judge Luz del Carmen Ibáñez Carranza, Judges Tomoko Akane, Solomy Balungi Bossa, Gocha Lordkipanidze and Erdenebalsuren Damdin.
Judge Lordkipanidze had ruled in Duterte’s favor in a 2023 jurisdictional dispute, while Judges Carranza and Bossa dissented. Judges Akane and Damdin are seen as the swing votes in the upcoming decision.
If the court upholds jurisdiction, the charges could proceed to trial, which prosecutors say might begin toward the end of 2026 to give both sides time to prepare.
The ICC’s week-long confirmation of charges hearing in February examined three counts of crimes against humanity, covering 78 murders and attempted murders between 2011 and 2019. It assessed whether Duterte masterminded the killings as an indirect co-perpetrator.
