ICC: Deadline for disclosure of evidence vs. Duterte on July 1

The International Criminal Court (ICC) Pre-Trial Chamber 1 directed the prosecution to disclose its evidence not later than July 1 in relation to the crimes against humanity case against former President Rodrigo Duterte.

“This includes all the evidence it intends to rely upon at the confirmation of charges hearing, including the totality of the witness statements and their translations, the exculpatory material that it has identified thus far, and the material falling under rule 77 of the Rules,” the ICC order said.

“Any items of evidence submitted after that date will not be taken to account for the purposes of the confirmation of charges hearing,” it added.

ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan previously said that the prosecutor is preparing two witnesses, 16 hours of audio video files, and nearly 9,000 pages of documents for the confirmation of charges.

Meanwhile, the chamber said that the order is without prejudice to the prosecution’s duty to provide the defense with any exonerating evidence identified after the July 1 deadline.

“This obligation shall not affect the existing time limits of the proceedings, including the timeline for the disclosure process as outlined above,” it read.

Aside from this, the chamber stressed that the document containing the charges must be limited to the essential factual and legal elements of the charges that the Prosecution is requesting the Chamber to confirm.

The confirmation of charges against Duterte will take place on September 23, 2025.

ICC presiding judge Iulia Antoanella Motoc enters the courtroom where former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte appeared via video link before the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands. Peter Dejong/Pool via REUTERS

Victim applicant verification

The chamber, meanwhile, accepted the documents proposed by the Registry as proof of the identity for victim applicants in the case and those acting on their behalf.

For applicants whose proof of identity is a declaration signed by two witnesses, the chamber said it will decide whether to accept such documents on an ad hoc basis, upon receipt of the Registry’s assessment and recommendations.

Duterte’s legal defense team previously called for limitations to the types of identification documents accepted.

The chamber also directed the Registry to immediately take action to organize a common legal representation for the victims.

It found that a common legal representation for the victims strikes a balance between the resources available to the court and the duty to allow the victims to participate meaningfully in the proceedings.

“While mindful of the need to protect the interests of victim applicants even before the appointment of (common) legal representatives, the Chamber finds it premature to allow ‘lawyers who were appointed by applicants, in victim application forms for participation or through powers of attorney, to make submissions before the Chamber until common legal representation in the Case has been decided,” it read.

It said that the Office of Public Counsel for Victims will represent the collective interests of potential victims until the mandate of the team of common legal representatives takes effect.

The order dated April 17 was signed by Presiding Judge Iulia Motoc, Judge Reine Adélaïde Sophie Alapini-Gansou, and Judge Maria del Socorro Flores Liera.

Duterte is currently in detention at the ICC prison at The Hague, Netherlands to face charges of crimes against humanity for his deadly war on drugs.

The deaths reached around 6,000 based on police records, but human rights groups contend that the deaths were as much as 30,000, including vigilante killings —VAL, GMA Integrated News