The International Criminal Court (ICC) has rejected the request of former President Rodrigo Duterte’s camp to obtain private communications between the Court’s Registry and independent medical experts who assessed his capacity to stand trial.
In a decision dated December 23, 2025, the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber I said the defense failed to establish the necessity for the immediate disclosure of emails, letters, and records of conversations between the Registry and the medical panel.
According to the Court, the Registry is a “neutral organ” that merely serves as an intermediary for instructions to the experts.
The ICC added that the defense already holds all the information it needs, including the documents transmitted to the panel.
The judges also noted that the experts’ reports, submitted on December 5, 2025, clearly outlined the materials and guidelines used in their assessment.
The medical examination was earlier ordered after Duterte’s camp sought an indefinite adjournment of the hearings.
The Office of the Prosecutor, however, urged the proceedings to continue, alleging that Duterte was feigning cognitive impairments, an accusation strongly denied by the defense.
Duterte is currently detained at the ICC detention center in The Hague, facing charges of crimes against humanity in connection with the extrajudicial killings under his war on drugs. (ZIA LUNA)
