ICC delays Duterte hearing to assess if ex-Philippine president is fit for trial

International Criminal Court judges on Monday postponed hearings to determine the definitive charges against former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte to see if the octogenarian is fit enough to follow the pre-trial proceedings in his case.

Duterte, 80, was arrested and taken to The Hague in March on murder charges linked to his “war on drugs”, where thousands of alleged narcotics peddlers and users were killed.

Many of the filings related to Duterte’s health are confidential or heavily redacted and it is not clear when the court expects to rule on his fitness to follow his case. It is rare for international courts to find suspects, even increasingly elderly suspects, wholly unfit for trial.

The ICC has never found a suspect unfit for trial despite several other defendants’ petitions.