Duterte Case Jurisdiction Appeal Verdict Set for April 2026

ICC

On 22 April 2026 at 11:00 (The Hague time), the Appeals Chamber of the International Criminal Court ("ICC" or "the Court") will deliver its judgment on the appeal of the Defence against Pre-Trial Chamber I's decision of 23 October 2025 regarding the challenge to the jurisdiction of the Court in the case of The Prosecutor v. Rodrigo Roa Duterte. The judgment will be delivered by the Chamber in open court and can be followed live on the Court's website.

On 23 October 2025, Pre-Trial Chamber I rejected the Defence's challenge to the jurisdiction of the Court in this case. On 28 October 2025, the Defence for Mr Duterte submitted its Notice of Appeal against this Decision and submitted its Appeal Brief on Jurisdiction on 14 November 2025.

Scheduling Order

Background: Mr Duterte is suspected of the crimes against humanity of murder and attempted murder, pursuant to article 7(1)(a) of the Statute, allegedly committed as part of a widespread and systematic attack against a civilian population on the territory of the Republic of the Philippines between 1 November 2011 and 16 March 2019 in the context of the "war on drugs" campaign. Following a request of the ICC Office of the Prosecutor, the warrant of arrest against Mr Duterte was issued by Pre-Trial Chamber I as "Secret" on 7 March 2025 and reclassified as "Public" on 11 March 2025. On 12 March 2025, Mr Duterte was surrendered to the ICC. The initial appearance of Mr Duterte took place on 14 March 2025. The confirmation of charges hearing took place from 23 to 27 February 2026.

The Appeals Chamber in this appeal is composed of Presiding Judge Luz del Carmen Ibáñez Carranza, Judge Tomoko Akane, Judge Solomy Balungi Bossa, Judge Gocha Lordkipanidze and Judge Erdenebalsuren Damdin.

Webstreaming of the hearing:

The hearing can be followed LIVE on the ICC website (Courtroom I), as well as on the ICC Facebook accounts and on the ICC YouTube Channel.

Attending the hearing:

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