ICC ruling on Duterte’s appeal out by April 22

The International Criminal Court Appeals Chamber is set to release its decision on 22 April 2026, regarding the jurisdictional challenge filed by former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte.

According to a scheduling order issued by the tribunal, the judgment will be delivered in open court at 11 a.m. (The Hague time) by a five-member panel of judges. The ruling will determine whether the high-profile case against Duterte can proceed before the international court.

Duterte’s legal team, led by lawyer Nicholas Kaufman, is appealing the 23 October 2025 decision of the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber I, which rejected the former leader’s challenge to the court’s jurisdiction.

In that earlier ruling, pre-trial judges maintained that the ICC retains authority over alleged crimes against humanity committed in the Philippines during the period when the country was still a member of the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the court.

The Appeals Chamber hearing the case is composed of Judges Luz del Carmen Ibáñez Carranza, Tomoko Akane, Solomy Balungi Bossa, Gocha Lordkipanidze, and Erdenebalsuren Damdin.

The ruling will be streamed live on the ICC’s official website.