'Delaying tactics' in Duterte’s ICC trial slammed

MANILA, Philippines — Families of victims of extrajudicial killings (EJK) under the Duterte administration continue to seek justice, as a lawyer accused former President Rodrigo Duterte’s camp of stalling the International Criminal Court (ICC) proceedings.

In an interview, ICC Assistant to Counsel Atty. Kristina Conti criticized Duterte’s legal team for allegedly employing delay tactics.

Conti brought up one alleged tactic, which was to exclude two of the three judges hearing the case, citing perceived bias due to their previous rulings on related matters.

"The request to disqualify the two judges was a confidential submission, filed alongside their jurisdictional challenge. As a result, only one judge is left to hear the case, which could cause further delays in the proceedings," Conti explained.

"Sana hindi maging ganito ang mga susunod na takbuhin ng pagdinig... Kasi sa totoo lang, this is eight years, nine years delayed ang paglilitis tungkol sa war on drugs ni Duterte," she added.

Duterte faces charges of crimes against humanity for the deaths of an estimated 30,000 people — mostly from poor communities — according to Human Rights Watch. Official government data from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency places the number of drug war-related deaths at 6,241 from July 1, 2016.

The ICC investigation covers the period from November 1, 2011, when Duterte was Davao City Mayor, to March 16, 2019, during his presidency.

On March 11, 2025, Duterte was arrested by the Philippine National Police and Interpol, and transferred to The Hague, Netherlands, on the same day.