THE HAGUE, Netherlands — Former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte is seeking interim release from the International Criminal Court (ICC) detention facility in The Hague to an undisclosed country, according to a legal filing submitted on June 12 by his defense counsel.
In the filing, Duterte’s lawyer, Nicholas Kaufman, said the government of an undisclosed country—identified only as a state party to the Rome Statute—has expressed its willingness to host the former president during the course of the proceedings.
“Mr. Duterte is not a flight risk, and custody is not necessary to ensure his appearance before the Court,” the filing reads. It further assures that Duterte would honor any conditions set by the court and would not “embarrass his hosts” by violating the terms of his release.
The defense also argued that Duterte poses no further threat and “will not continue to commit crimes” if released, noting that he would be “residing well outside the geographic scope of the alleged crimes,” referring to the Philippines.
Duterte has been detained at the ICC Detention Centre in Scheveningen since March in connection with the investigation into alleged crimes against humanity committed during his administration’s controversial “war on drugs.”
Kaufman said the ICC prosecution has expressed non-opposition to Duterte’s interim release, provided that certain conditions are met. He emphasized that Duterte “does not pose an objective risk of flight, nor is his arrest necessary to ensure the integrity of the investigations or to preclude the continued commission of crimes.”
The ICC’s Pre-Trial Chamber I will review the request after receiving observations from relevant parties, including the prosecution and legal representatives of the victims.
As of now, the identity of the country willing to host Duterte remains confidential, and no timeline has been given for the Court’s decision.
