Former President Rodrigo Duterte has announced that he will not attend the upcoming confirmation of charges hearing at the International Criminal Court (ICC), citing both his health and his refusal to recognize the tribunal’s authority over his person.
In a signed statement dated Feb. 17 from the ICC Detention Centre in The Hague, Duterte said he “wish[es] to waive my right to attend the hearing on the confirmation of charges,” stressing that he does not recognize the court’s jurisdiction.
“I am a Filipino citizen forcibly pushed into a jet and renditioned to The Hague in the Netherlands in flagrant contravention of my country’s Constitution and of national sovereignty,” he claimed.
According to Duterte, he understands the consequences of waiving his right and has authorized his counsel, Nicholas Kaufman, to challenge the prosecution’s evidence on his behalf. “I trust him and his team to challenge the sufficiency of the Prosecution’s evidence on my behalf,” he wrote.
The former president also said he does not wish to follow the proceedings remotely.
“I do not wish to attend legal proceedings that I will forget within minutes. I am old, tired, and frail,” he said, asking the court to respect his peace inside the cell where he is detained.
Duterte added that he has accepted the possibility of dying in prison but insisted his “heart and soul will always remain in the Philippines.”
He expressed pride in his legacy and service, stressing his loyalty to the Filipino nation.
He claimed his arrest was facilitated by the incumbent Philippine president, saying a plane was “specially chartered for this purpose.”
Duterte denied overseeing a policy of extrajudicial killings, calling the allegations “an outrageous lie” propagated by political opponents and unreliable witnesses.
The upcoming ICC hearing, set for Feb. 23–27, 2026, will determine whether there is sufficient evidence to establish substantial grounds to believe Duterte committed crimes against humanity of murder and attempted murder in connection with the anti-drug campaign between Nov. 1, 2011, and March 16, 2019.
If charges are confirmed, the case will proceed to a full trial before a Trial Chamber. The ICC maintains jurisdiction over alleged crimes committed while the Philippines was still a State Party to the Rome Statute, despite the country’s withdrawal in 2019. (Argyll Geducos)
