Amid Ongoing Investigation on Duterte Drug War, ICC Calls for New Witnesses
– The International Criminal Court opened its microsite to the public to appeal for “direct witnesses” on the Duterte drug war.
Previously, it was reported that the
evidence against former Pres. Rodrigo Roa Duterte submitted by the prosecutors to the Defense is past 1,000 already
. The former Chief Executive is detained under the custody of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands since March 2025.
Last March 11, several Philippine authorities reportedly assisted the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) for the arrest of former Pres. Rodrigo Roa Duterte. On the same day that he was arrested, the former Chief Executive was flown to Dubai en route for the transfer of his custody to the ICC in The Hague.
Duterte is faced with three (3) counts of murder as alleged crimes against humanity filed by the prosecutors. His legal team is led by British-Israeli lawyer Nicholas Kaufman.
Kaufman was the one who represented Duterte during the latest hearing held by the foreign court over the interim release appeal of the former President. The
ICC rejected the interim release plea of Duterte
anew. According to his family, they accept the foreign court’s ruling “with open hearts”.
Nicholas Kaufman claimed that they might file another interim release application after the medical report of former Pres. Rodrigo Roa Duterte will be released. However, a source claimed that Duterte’s medical report allegedly said that the former President is fit to stand trial — contrary to the previous claim of the British-Israeli Lawyer.
Duterte’s camp requested the ICC to ask for additional medical report from the medical experts that it has tapped to check on the former President but the foreign court denied its appeal. The
Duterte camp submitted its own medical report on the former President to assert the claim about his alleged “deteriorating condition”
“The Office is appealing for direct witnesses to these incidents, including members of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and other law enforcement agencies who were involved in these incidents, to come forward and speak with members of the Office,”
the ICC stated.
Based on the
report
, the ICC call for new witnesses to the Duterte drug war has Visayan and Tagalog version. Information may be submitted through the foreign court’s microsite , https://bit.ly/49IfCBj.
Amid the ongoing detention of the former President, Duterte’s former spokesman
Harry Roque called for prayers for former Pres. Rodrigo Duterte