The International Criminal Court (ICC) on Friday, November 27, rejected a request by former Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte to be released from detention ahead of his trial on crimes against humanity during his war on drugs.
Presiding judge Luz del Carmen Ibáñez Carranza ruled that Duterte’s lawyers did not provide sufficient safeguards to justify his release from custody in The Hague.
His legal team had requested humanitarian parole on health grounds, but the court said the proposed conditions were not enough to address the risks associated with letting him out.
The ICC also dismissed the defense’s argument that Duterte should be granted release for humanitarian reasons.
Duterte was arrested in Manila on March 11 and transferred to the ICC detention facility in Scheveningen, near The Hague.
He appeared noticeably weak during his first virtual court appearance.
The charges against him are tied to the anti-drug campaign carried out during his presidency from 2016 to 2022, which rights groups say resulted in thousands of deaths.
The court is still determining whether he is medically fit to stand trial.
In October, the ICC rejected the defense’s claim that the court lacked jurisdiction over three charges of crimes against humanity.
The charges include 19 killings committed between 2013 and 2016 while Duterte was mayor of Davao City, 14 killings of alleged drug kingpins between 2016 and 2017 during his presidency, and 43 killings of suspected low-level drug users and dealers.
A spokesperson for Philippine president Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said the government respects the court’s decision.
Duterte’s daughter, Sara Duterte, currently serves as vice president.
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