THE Hague – The International Criminal Court (ICC) Office of the Prosecutor has filed its sixth round of evidence disclosures against former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, marking another step forward in pre-trial proceedings for alleged crimes against humanity tied to his controversial war on drugs.
The latest submission, dated June 3, forms part of the evidentiary groundwork leading up to the scheduled confirmation of charges hearing on September 23, 2025.
Prosecutors aim to prove Duterte’s role in the widespread killings that occurred under his administration’s anti-drug campaign.
Since the last disclosure on April 30, the ICC prosecution has submitted at least 267 items.
It has also successfully requested two deadline extensions, granted by the court to allow for the redaction of sensitive information that could endanger witness identities.
All materials filed during the evidence disclosure phase will be presented at the September hearing, which will determine whether there is a sufficient basis to proceed to trial.
A confirmation would set the stage for what many observers see as a landmark international trial.
Duterte was arrested on March 11, 2025, upon returning to the Philippines from Hong Kong.
He was swiftly transferred to The Hague and remains in custody at the ICC detention center in Scheveningen.
The ICC’s Pre-Trial Chamber I had earlier issued a warrant for Duterte’s arrest, citing “reasonable grounds” to believe he bore individual responsibility as an “indirect co-perpetrator” for murder as a crime against humanity, allegedly committed in the Philippines between November 1, 2011, and March 16, 2019.
Defense lawyers Nicholas Kaufman and Dov Jacobs have contested the ICC’s jurisdiction, arguing that the Philippines’ 2019 withdrawal from the Rome Statute renders the court’s actions invalid.
The ICC, however, maintains it retains jurisdiction over crimes committed while the country was still a state party.
Duterte’s legal team also moved to disqualify Judges Reine Adélaïde Sophie Alapini-Gansou and María del Socorro Flores Liera from the case, citing alleged bias related to their prior rulings on jurisdictional matters.
The ICC denied the motion, stating it lacked “procedural propriety.”
The case remains closely watched both in the Philippines and abroad, with human rights advocates calling it a crucial test for international justice and accountability.