Karapatan secretary general Cristina Palabay leads the protest in front of the International Criminal Court hours before the start confirmation of charges hearing in the crimes against humanity case of former President Rodrigo Duterte on Feb. 23. (Kathleen de Villa/Inquirer)
THE HAGUE, The Netherlands — The International Criminal Court’s Pre-Trial Chamber I has granted former President Rodrigo Duterte’s request to skip a separate hearing on his continued detention scheduled on Friday.
In a decision dated Feb. 25, the chamber allowed Duterte to waive his attendance at the hearing, saying his presence was not required under the court’s legal framework.
“Considering that nothing in the Court’s legal framework requires the presence of the suspect at the hearing mandated by rule 118(3) of the Rules, the Chamber finds that, in the present circumstances, it is appropriate to grant Mr. Duterte’s request,” it said.