MANILA — The legal team of former president Rodrigo Duterte has submitted a new set of evidence to the International Criminal Court (ICC) as part of the ongoing crimes against humanity case linked to the bloody war on drugs during his administration.
In a filing dated November 5, 2025, the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber I confirmed receiving the “Defense Second Communication of Disclosure of Evidence,” submitted by Duterte’s lawyer, Nicholas Kaufman.
According to the document, 13 pieces of evidence were turned over on November 3 to the Office of the Prosecutor and the Office of Public Counsel for Victims (OPCV).
The specific contents of the materials were not made public, as they are included in a confidential annex accessible only to the defense, the prosecution, and the OPCV, following ICC protocols on evidence exchange.
The submission forms part of the ongoing pre-trial phase of the ICC’s investigation into alleged extrajudicial killings committed in the Philippines between 2016 and 2019.
It is the second formal disclosure from Duterte’s defense since the proceedings resumed earlier this year.
Since Duterte’s transfer to the ICC Detention Centre in The Hague, pre-trial proceedings have centered on the exchange of evidence and witness lists between the parties.
The defense’s first disclosure, made in September, included documents said to “contextualize” Duterte’s anti-drug campaign as a legitimate national security effort.
The prosecution, however, has maintained that the campaign amounted to a systematic assault on poor communities through extrajudicial executions, allegedly ordered or tolerated by senior officials.
In October, the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber directed both sides to complete their disclosure of evidence and witness summaries before the year’s end, ahead of the confirmation of charges hearing expected in early 2026.