Ex-Philippines president Duterte appeals ICC jurisdiction ruling, demands release?

Rodrigo Duterte, the former president of the Philippines, has appealed last week's decision by the International Criminal Court to continue its case against him and is seeking his release, court documents showed on Wednesday.

Last week, ICC judges ruled that the court had jurisdiction over Duterte's case despite his team's contention that the court did not open a full-fledged investigation into alleged crimes in the Philippines until after the country had withdrawn from the ICC in 2019.

Duterte, president from 2016 to 2022, was arrested and taken to The Hague in March on an arrest warrant that linked him to murders committed during his war on drugs in the Philippines. During that campaign, thousands of alleged narcotics peddlers and users were killed. Duterte and his lawyers maintain his arrest was unlawful.

In their notice of appeal, Duterte's lawyers asked the court to reverse a lower panel's decision to continue the case and find there is no legal basis for it.

They also want the court to order Duterte's immediate and unconditional release. The defence team has also filed another motion to stop the Duterte case because they said the 80-year-old is unfit to stand trial due to a cognitive decline. A decision on how Duterte's health will affect the proceedings is not expected until mid-November.

Reuters