The Hague, 30 October 2026 — The trial of former Philippine President Rodrigo Roa Duterte before the International Criminal Court (ICC) is scheduled to open on 30 November 2026 at 10:00 (The Hague local time). The proceedings will take place before Trial Chamber III, in connection with charges of crimes against humanity of murder and attempted murder under Article 7(1)(a) of the Rome Statute.
The charges concern alleged crimes committed as part of a widespread and systematic attack against a civilian population in the Philippines between 1 November 2011 and 16 March 2019.
Mr Duterte faces three counts. Count 1 concerns alleged murders in Davao City during his tenure as mayor, between 2013 and approximately June 2016. Count 2 relates to the alleged murders of individuals identified as “High-Value Targets” in various locations across the Philippines during his presidency, between approximately July 2016 and July 2017. Count 3 concerns alleged murders and attempted murders during so-called barangay clearance operations in locations across the country, between approximately July 2016 and September 2018.
Opening of the proceedings
The hearings are scheduled to begin on 30 November 2026. At the outset, the judges will verify that Mr Duterte understands the nature of the charges and ask whether he admits guilt or pleads not guilty.
The Chamber will then hear the opening statements of the Prosecution and the Common Legal Representatives of the Victims (CLRVs), followed by the Defence, should it wish to make an opening statement.
The Prosecution has been allocated six hours and the CLRVs three hours for their respective opening statements. These will be presented across four daily hearing sessions:
- 10:00–11:00
- 11:30–12:30
- 13:30–14:30
- 15:00–16:00
All times are local to The Hague. The first Prosecution witness is expected to begin testifying after the conclusion of the opening statements. The courtroom schedule will subsequently be adjusted as necessary.
Trial Chamber III
The Chamber is composed of Presiding Judge Joanna Korner, Judge Keebong Paek and Judge Nicolas Guillou. The judges are responsible for ensuring the fairness of the proceedings and safeguarding the rights of all parties and participants.
How to follow the hearings
The hearings will be streamed with a 30-minute delay through the following ICC platforms:
