Duterte needs Medialdea as authorized counsel in ICC trial

IN TRANSIT. Former President Rodrigo Duterte talks together with his former Govt Secretary Salvador Medialdea on board the chartered jet taking them to The Hague, on this image launched by Sen. Bong Go on Wednesday. (Picture from REUTERS, AP, SEN. BONG GO/FACEBOOK)

MANILA, Philippines — Former President Rodrigo Duterte mentioned he needs his former government secretary in Malacañang—Salvador Medialdea—to be his authorized counsel, in keeping with the Worldwide Felony Courtroom (ICC).

In a handwritten letter dated March 12, 2025, Duterte wrote: “I, Rodrigo R. Duterte, hereby appoint Atty. Salvador Medialdea as one among my counsels within the ICC proceedings.”

Duterte will face the ICC’s pre-trial in The Hague, Netherlands, at 2:00 p.m. on Friday (9:00 p.m. Manila time).

The previous president arrived within the Netherlands on Wednesday evening (Manila time) and was turned over to the ICC Detention Heart in Scheveningen, The Hague.

He was the topic of an arrest warrant by the ICC over crimes in opposition to humanity allegedly dedicated within the Philippines between November 1, 2011, and March 16, 2019.

The nation was nonetheless occasion to the Rome Statute, which created the ICC accord throughout this era.

In March 2018, Duterte declared the Philippines’ withdrawal from the Rome Statute or the treaty that established the legal court docket.

However the withdrawal took impact a yr later, or in March 2019, so the ICC retained jurisdiction over alleged crimes within the Philippines primarily based on the time when the nation was nonetheless a member.

The conflict in opposition to unlawful medication that passed off throughout Duterte’s presidential time period claimed at the least 6,000 lives, in keeping with official authorities information.

Human rights watchdogs and the ICC prosecutor estimated the demise toll to be between 12,000 and 30,000 from 2016 to 2019.

They mentioned a number of of those incidents had been extrajudicial killings.