Judges at the International Criminal Court (ICC) have set November 30 as the start date for the trial of former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who is charged with crimes against humanity linked to his violent anti-crime campaigns.
In a statement yesterday, The Hague-based court said that the timing of the trial of the 81-year-old had been determined by the ICC Trial Chamber after reviewing submissions by prosecutors, Duterte’s defense team, and the legal representatives of victims.
According to Rappler, victims were pushing for September 30 as the start date, but in the end, the Trial Chamber acceded to the prosecution’s preference for November 30.
“The trial will run on a daily basis until [we] reach judicial recess,” Presiding Judge Joanna Korner said during a status conference yesterday.
Duterte, 81, is facing three counts of crimes against humanity involving the murders of at least 76 people and the attempted murder of two others. Nineteen of the alleged murders were carried out between 2013 and 2016, when Duterte was mayor of Davao City. The remainder were committed during his “war on drugs” campaign, which raged throughout Duterte’s six years in office (2016-2022), and resulted in the deaths of between around 6,000 – the official estimate of the Philippine police – to as many as 30,000.
