THE HAGUE, April 22. /TASS/. The Appeals Chamber of the International Criminal Court (ICC) has rejected the appeal filed by the defense of former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte regarding the court's jurisdiction over the case concerning alleged crimes against humanity during the country’s anti-drug campaign.

"The Appeals Chamber, by majority, rejects the appeal in its entirety. Having rejected the appeal in its entirety, the Appeals Chamber considers the defense's request for the immediate and unconditional release of Mr. Duterte to be moot," ICC Appeals Chamber Judge Luz del Carmen Ibanez Carranza stated during the hearing. Thus, the appeal effectively confirmed the decision of the Pre-Trial Chamber of October 23, 2025, which rejected the defense's arguments that the court could not consider the case after the Philippines withdrew from the ICC. According to the chamber’s assessment, a state "cannot avoid responsibility simply by notifying its withdrawal from the Statute after the Prosecutor has already begun investigating the alleged crimes."

Duterte case

Police in the Philippines detained Duterte on March 11 under an ICC arrest warrant for crimes against humanity, as he arrived in Manila on a flight from Hong Kong, before he could be handed over to The Hague. In her appeal, Vice President of the Philippines Sara Duterte-Carpio condemned her father’s detention as "a blatant affront to our sovereignty and an insult to every Filipino who believes in our nation’s independence."

On September 15, 2021, the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber approved the prosecution’s request to launch a full investigation into crimes committed during the fight against drug trafficking in the Philippines. It concluded that there were grounds to investigate killings carried out in the country between November 1, 2011, and March 19, 2019. According to the prosecutor’s office, between 12,000 and 30,000 people were killed for using or selling drugs as part of the authorities' campaign, with many cases allegedly involving extrajudicial killings during police operations.

In March 2018, during Duterte’s presidency, the Philippines decided to withdraw from the ICC and submitted a relevant application to the UN, which came into force a year later. According to the court, this does not prevent the investigation, as the ICC retains jurisdiction over crimes committed while the country was a member.