By Merlina Hernando-Malipot
Vice President Sara Duterte has urged the International Criminal Court (ICC) to free former President Rodrigo Duterte, insisting that his continued detention is unjust and unsupported by the Rome Statute’s conditions for custody.
Speaking before Filipino supporters in The Hague on July 29, she argued that her father does not meet any of the three criteria the ICC considers before granting interim release: risk of flight, obstruction of investigation, or likelihood of committing further crimes under the court’s jurisdiction.
“He is not a flight risk. He cannot and will not obstruct the ongoing investigation. And he cannot commit crimes under ICC jurisdiction,” Duterte stressed.
She underscored that the former president’s advanced age and poor health further weaken any justification for his detention.
At 81, she said, he struggles with basic self-care, suffers from bedsores, and endures chronic pain.
Duterte also pointed out that her father never interfered with the ICC probe, even while in office, allowing critics and investigators to speak and act freely.
Keeping him behind bars despite these circumstances, she added, amounts to “unjust delay” and “unjust detention,” noting that more than a year has passed since his arrival in The Hague without significant progress in the case.
The former president remains in ICC custody over allegations of crimes against humanity tied to his administration’s anti-illegal drugs campaign.
