ICC Trial Chamber rejects proposed setup for Duterte trial hearings

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International Criminal Court (ICC) Trial Chamber III Presiding Judge Joanna Korner on Wednesday said they are not inclined to adopt the arrangement proposed by the Registry to conduct blocks of hearings with breaks and sitting hours in the trial of former President Rodrigo Duterte.

“The Registry has taken the view that we’re going to have what has become, I’m afraid, ultra common in this court, sitting schedule then breaks,” she said during the third status conference.

“At the moment, we are not minded to do that. We are intending to sit through— we start on November 30th and then end, I think, it’s the middle of the week. Before the Christmas break,” she added.

Korner stressed the need for the trial to proceed as quickly as possible.

Duterte’s trial is scheduled to begin on November 30.

He is facing crimes against humanity charges over alleged killings during his time as President and Davao City mayor.

He attended his status conference for the first time. He was arrested in March 2025 at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3.

The former leader is currently detained at the ICC Detention Centre in Scheveningen in The Hague, The Netherlands.

He attended his status conference for the first time Wednesday.

Duterte sat behind his defense team. In the few moments that the former official was shown in the livestream, he appeared to be listening to the proceedings. —LDF, GMA News