The International Criminal Court (ICC) Appeals Chamber on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, denied the appeal filed by former President Rodrigo Duterte against an earlier ruling that dismissed his challenge to the court's jurisdiction.

During the hearing, the chamber ruled that, "The appeals chamber by majority… has rejected all four grounds of appeal. Having rejected the entire appeal, the appeals chamber considers that the defense’s request for unconditional release of Mr. Duterte is moot."

Duterte was not present at the hearing after he requested to waive his appearance. 

He was represented by his legal counsels Nicholas Kaufman and Dov Jacobs, and others.

To recall, the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber I previously rejected Duterte's challenge to its jurisdiction, saying the prosecution's preliminary examination commenced prior to the Philippines' written notification of its withdrawal from the Statute.

Duterte's legal team sought a reversal of this ruling and asked the ICC Appeals Chamber to find that there is no legal basis for the continuation of proceedings against the former official.

His lawyers also asked for Duterte's immediate and unconditional release.

(With reports from Joahna Lei Casilao, GMA News)