The International Criminal Court (ICC) has pointed to public remarks made by Vice President Sara Duterte as one of the factors in its decision to keep her father, former president Rodrigo Duterte, behind bars while awaiting trial for alleged crimes against humanity.
Duterte remains in detention at The Hague, Netherlands, as the ICC prepares to open hearings into accusations tied to his controversial drug war. In a statement released Friday, September 12, prosecutors said recent developments reinforced the need to continue his detention.
“The short time since the Prosecution submitted its Response, other serious incidents have occurred that support Mr. Duterte’s continued detention,” the ICC noted.
According to court documents, Sara Duterte’s public statements raised red flags. The vice president had earlier told a crowd in The Hague—and repeated in interviews—that her father was “kidnapped” by authorities when he was arrested and turned over to the ICC. She also described the process as “illegal.”
The ICC stressed that such claims were not only misleading but also risked undermining the integrity of the proceedings. It further cited reports that Sara Duterte joked about breaking her father out of detention, even suggesting during a Facebook livestream that supporters should “collaborate on a jailbreak.”
In another speech at the ICC steps, she went as far as alleging that the Court was “colluding” with the Philippine government and paying “fake witnesses” in the case.
