ICC Registry submits amended E-Protocol on former President Duterte's case

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The International Criminal Court (ICC) Registry has submitted documents and the annex including the amended E-court Protocol on the case of former President Rodrigo Duterte on charges of crimes against humanity in relation to his war on drugs as part of court regulations.

"The Registry hereby submits the amended Protocol, as annex to the present submission, in compliance with the Chamber’s Decision," according to a document posted on the ICC website that was signed by Marc Dubuisson Director, Division of Judicial Services on behalf of Osvaldo Zavala Giler, Registrar.

The submission is pursuant to the decision of the ICC Trial Chamber III issued on September 28, 2026 to amend the E-court protocol.

The Chamber had denied the request of former President Duterte to include an expert verification for open-source or user-generated evidence that will be submitted to the chamber.

“Given the large volume of evidence that has been made available by the Prosecution in the present case, as well as the breadth of open-source and user-generated evidence, such obligation, if implemented, may in the event be unnecessary and could well have the effect of causing a needless delay to the start of the trial,” it said In a 7-page document dated September 28.

The chamber granted the prosecution’s request for the creation of an URL metadata field to easily identify the URL associated with the open source evidence at the time it was captured.

Duterte’s team has slammed the Prosecution’s disclosure of its evidence in the former official’s crimes against humanity case, saying that it is in a “terrible mess.”

On the procedural history of the Registry's submission, it mentioned that on June 19, 2026, the Chamber issued its “Directions on the conduct of proceedings’, in which it, inter alia, adopted the E-Court Protocol as proposed by the Registry on June 17, 2026.

It was on August 31, 2026, the Prosecution had requested an amendment to the Protocol and the creation of a URL metadata field within Nuix Discover.

The Chamber granted the Prosecution’s request and instructed the Registry to file the amended Protocol by October 2, 2026.

Duterte is facing charges related to crimes against humanity over alleged killings during his time as President and Davao City mayor. He attended his status conference for the first time on September 16.

He was arrested by Philippine authorities in Pasay City and was handed over to the ICC on March 11, 2025.

The trial is scheduled to begin on November 30, 2026. — BAP, GMA News