Duterte camp appeals ICC ruling on jurisdiction

The legal team of former President Rodrigo Duterte has filed an appeal before the International Criminal Court (ICC), seeking to overturn the tribunal’s decision affirming its jurisdiction over the former Philippine leader.

Duterte’s camp, in a four-page notice of appeal dated 28 October 2025, urged the ICC Appeals Chamber to reverse the ruling and declare that there is “no legal basis” for the continuation of proceedings against him.

They also called for Duterte’s immediate and unconditional release from detention.

The appeal followed the Pre-Trial Chamber’s rejection of Duterte’s earlier challenge to the court’s jurisdiction and denial of his legal team’s request to delay the issuance of its decision.

The ICC Prosecutor has accused Duterte of 49 counts of murder and attempted murder, allegedly committed during his tenure as mayor of Davao City and later as President of the Philippines, noting that the “actual scale of victimization during the charged period was significantly greater.”

Duterte is currently detained at the Hague Penitentiary Institution while the case proceeds. The charges stem from alleged extrajudicial killings linked to Duterte’s controversial anti-drug campaign, which drew international condemnation for widespread human rights violations.

According to official government data, at least 6,200 individuals were killed in police operations under Duterte’s “war on drugs.” Human rights groups, however, estimate the true number could reach as high as 30,000, citing unreported or vigilante-related slayings.

The ICC’s investigation, covering alleged crimes against humanity committed between 2011 and 2019, has been strongly opposed by the Duterte administration and its allies, who insist that the Philippines’ withdrawal from the Rome Statute in 2019 stripped the court of jurisdiction.

Despite Manila’s withdrawal, the ICC maintains that it retains jurisdiction over crimes committed while the country was still a member—a stance now challenged by Duterte’s legal team in the latest appeal.