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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider New ICC medical panel given until Dec. 5 to submit health findings on Duterte

New ICC medical panel given until Dec. 5 to submit health findings on Duterte

Published Nov 15, 2025 08:23 am
Former president Rodrigo Duterte (ICC Photos)
Former president Rodrigo Duterte (ICC Photos)
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has finalized a new panel of medical experts to determine if former president Rodrigo Duterte is fit to stand trial in the charges of crimes against humanity of murder relating to his war on drugs campaign while he was chief executive.
In an eight-page decision, the ICC’s Pre-Trial Chamber I (PTC I) announced the revocation of the appointment of one of the medical experts earlier appointed to the panel after the defense raised questions about his credibility.
Instead, the PTC I “APPOINTS [REDACTED] as a member of the Panel to undertake Mr. Duterte’s medical examination” and “INSTRUCTS the Registry to proceed with the admission of [REDACTED] to the List of Experts by no later than 7 November 2025.”
The new medical team has been given a deadline of Dec. 5 to submit its report on the former president’s fitness to stand trial.
“INSTRUCTS the Panel to submit a report, jointly to the extent possible and as considered appropriate, to the Registry, which shall then file the joint or individual reports of the Panel by no later than 5 December 2025, in accordance with paragraph 19 above and paragraph 23 of the Appointment Decision,” the document read.
It also ordered the defense, the prosecution, and the victims’ counsel to file any observation on the panel’s report no later than Dec. 12.
The decision follows weeks of delays since September when Duterte was initially scheduled to attend a confirmation of charges hearing. This was, however, postponed as his camp claims he is unfit to stand trial.
The Duterte camp also has a request to adjourn all legal proceedings against him, citing his deteriorating cognitive capacities.
The former chief executive has been in The Hague, Netherlands since March after he was arrested at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3.
He’s facing charges of crimes against humanity of murder for the alleged extrajudicial killings of some 6,000 people, according to official reports. Human rights groups, however, said this number can balloon from 20,000 to 30,000 deaths.

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