ICC approves request to delay disclosure of witnesses in Duterte case

The International Criminal Court (ICC) Pre-trial Chamber 1 has granted the request of the prosecution to extend the deadline of the submission of several documents related to the crimes against humanity case against former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte.

In a 5-page decision signed by presiding Judge Iulia Motoc, Judge Reine Alapini-Gansou, and Judge Maria del Socorro Flores Liera, the chamber ordered the prosecution to complete the disclosure of the arrest warrant materials related to the relevant witnesses by no later than July 1, 2025.

Likewise, the prosecution was directed to submit any applications for redactions not falling into the standard categories, non-disclosure of witnesses’ identities, or non-disclosure of entire items of evidence on or before June 16.

The Victims and Witnesses Unit should also submit its observations on such applications, if any, by the same date.

Any responses to such applications, if any, must be submitted by no later than June 20, according to the chamber.

The decision was made after the ICC Office of the Prosecutor sought to delay the disclosure deadline until July 1—-the date set to complete the disclosure process; and that the final deadline to apply to the Chamber to withhold the identity of witnesses be extended until June 20.

The prosecution had stressed that the immediate disclosure of the witnesses’ identities “would give rise to an objective risk to their safety.” This was acknowledged by the Pre-Trial Chamber 1.

“The Chamber notes the Prosecution’s submission that, although it ‘does not presently assess that it will be required to submit requests to the Chamber for the non-disclosure of the identities of the [Relevant] Witnesses’, it ‘assesses that the immediate disclosure of their identities would give rise to an objective risk to their safety,’” the document read.

“For this reason, and further noting that the Defense and the OPCV (Office of Public Counsel for Victims) do not object to the Request, the Chamber considers that good cause is shown, within the meaning of regulation 35 of the Regulations, to grant an extension of the relevant time limits,” it added.

Duterte was arrested in the Philippines by local authorities on March 11, based on a warrant of arrest issued by the ICC.

He is currently detained in the Scheveningen Prison in The Hague for charges of crimes against humanity for the extrajudicial killings during his administration’s war on drugs.

The chamber scheduled the hearing on the confirmation of the charges on September 23, 2025. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News