Duterte Won't Show Up to His Own Detention Review at the ICC — Signs One-Page Waiver Without Explaining Why
Former President Rodrigo Duterte has decided he doesn't want to attend the annual review of his own detention at the International Criminal Court. In a one-page waiver dated February 23, Duterte informed the ICC's Pre-Trial Chamber I that he will not participate in the hearing scheduled for Friday, February 27 — and he didn't even bother to explain why.
The document, prepared by his legal team and read to him before signing, simply stated: "My counsel has explained to me the legal consequences emanating from such a waiver, and I trust him and my ICC legal team to represent me faithfully." Short, to the point, and completely silent on the reasoning. Classic Duterte.
The hearing is a mandatory annual review under Rule 118(3) of the ICC's Rules of Procedure and Evidence, which requires the Pre-Trial Chamber to assess whether continued detention is still necessary. The review can be initiated by either the prosecutor or the detained individual. In this case, the chamber had specifically directed Duterte's defense team to submit a waiver if he intended to skip it.
Duterte has been detained at the Scheveningen prison complex in The Hague — located just a few kilometers from the ICC headquarters — for nearly a year since his arrest on March 11, 2025. His confirmation of charges hearing is currently underway, with the prosecution presenting evidence of alleged crimes against humanity linked to the drug war.
The waiver likely reflects a strategic decision by defense counsel Nicholas Kaufman — attending a detention review could open Duterte up to questioning about conditions that might undermine his broader legal strategy. Or maybe the former president just doesn't want to give the court any more of his time. Either way, his lawyers will handle it. Bahala na si Kaufman.
Source: The Manila Times
