Former Pres. Rodrigo Duterte Signs Waiver on Rights to Attend ICC Interim Release Hearing
RODRIGO DUTERTE – The former President will skip the hearing of the International Criminal Court (ICC) over his interim release plea today,
Former Pres. Duterte is detained under the custody of the ICC since March. He was arrested by the Philippine authorities who assisted the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) over a reported arrest warrant issued by the foreign court.
The camp of former Pres. Duterte sought his interim release but it was denied. The ICC also junked former Pres. Duterte’s challenge to its jurisdiction. The former President is faced with three (3) counts of murder as alleged “crimes against humanity”.
The lead counsel of former Pres. Rodrigo Duterte is a British-Israeli lawyer, Nicholas Kaufman. They filed an appeal over the decision of the ICC to junk the interim release plea of the former President and the foreign court is set to hold a hearing and decide over the matter today.
However, former Pres. Rodrigo Duterte will skip the ICC hearing on his interim release plea today. Based on a report on ABS-CBN News, the former Chief Executive signed a waiver of his right to appear before the ICC hearing.
The filing of the waiver was submitted by Duterte’s lawyer Nicholas Kaufman on Friday, November 27. Based on the report, the Appeals Chamber will announce the oral judgement of the court at 10:30 a.m. in The Hague, Netherlands.
“I, Rodrigo Roa Duterte, respectfully waive my right to appear before the Appeals Chamber on 28 November 2025 at 10:30 and, consequently, instruct my lawyers to hear the judgment that will be rendered on my appeal against Pre-Trial Chamber I’s decision on interim release – ICC-01/21-01/25-282,” the waiver signed by former Pres. Duterte reads.
At the hearing today, Duterte will be represented by Kaufman. Previously, the ICC postponed the confirmation of charges hearing of former Pres. Duterte after his lawyer, Nicholas Kaufman, claimed that the former Chief Executive is allegedly “not fit to stand trial”.
Following the claim of the Defense, the ICC ordered the medical examination of former Pres. Rodrigo Duterte to determine his fitness to stand trial.