The prosecution in former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s crimes against humanity case at the International Criminal Court (ICC) has presented a total of 139 items of evidence, further intensifying the legal battle against the former leader.
According to a document dated May 5, ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan submitted the evidence in four organized disclosure packages to ICC Pre-Trial Chamber 1 on April 30. The packages are categorized into contextual elements, modes of liability, murders during Duterte’s term as Davao City mayor, and killings under barangay clearance operations during his presidency.
Duterte is currently in the custody of the ICC in The Hague, Netherlands, facing charges related to his administration’s controversial war on drugs. Government records show around 6,200 drug suspects were killed during Duterte’s anti-drug operations, but human rights groups argue the death toll could be as high as 30,000, citing unreported cases.
The former president made his first appearance before the ICC via video link on March 14. His confirmation of charges is scheduled for September 23, 2025. Prosecutor Khan has also disclosed preparations involving two witnesses, 16 hours of audio-video files, and nearly 9,000 pages of documents for the upcoming confirmation hearing.
Meanwhile, in a related decision dated May 6, the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber rejected the request from Duterte’s legal team to excuse two judges from ruling on the court’s jurisdiction over his case. The chamber clarified that only the judges themselves can request to be excused, following procedures outlined in ICC regulations.
“The possibility for that person to invite or request judges to seek excusal before the Presidency is thus not contemplated in the statutory texts,” the chamber emphasized in its ruling, signed by Presiding Judge Iulia Antonella Motoc.
