Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte appears in court in The Hague

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte made his first public appearance in over a year Wednesday as he attended a hearing at the International Criminal Court, where he’s facing charges of crimes against humanity.

Dressed a black suit and a crisp white shirt, the 81-year-old smiled and waved at supporters, following a pretrial hearing that focused largely on scheduling concerns ahead of the trial’s official start, expected in November.

The ex-leader is accused of murder and attempted murder for his alleged involvement in dozens of killings as part of his so-called war on drugs during his time in office. He denies the charges against him.

Duterte was arrested in the Philippines in March 2025 and sent to The Hague in the Netherlands. He made his initial appearance via video link from the court’s detention center and had not attended another session until Wednesday.

His legal team had attempted to get the case thrown out on medical grounds, but judges denied a request for him to be released from custody and ultimately ruled earlier this year that he was healthy enough to stand trial.

The ICC has been looking into mass killings in crackdowns overseen by Duterte, first when he served as mayor of the southern Philippine city of Davao and later as president.

Estimates of the death toll during Duterte’s presidential term vary, from the more than 6,000 reported by the national police to up to 30,000 claimed by human rights groups.

According to the prosecutors, police and government hit squads carried out dozens of killings at Duterte’s orders, motivated by the promise of money or to avoid becoming targets themselves.

In June, the presiding judge in his case told Duterte’s lawyers that she wanted the ex-leader to turn up. “We would expect Mr. Duterte to be here unless there’s some medical issue,” Judge Joanna Korner said.

Earlier this week, his counsel requested additional medical evaluations. Following the hearing, the three-judge panel rejected a request from Duterte’s legal team to release him during the trial, citing concerns about his ability to interfere with witnesses.

Relatives of those killed in the drug crackdowns held a group watch in Manila, chanting “Justice for all victims of the killings!”

A small group of protesters also gathered outside the ICC ahead of the hearing to voice their support for the proceedings.

A month after the court in February 2018 announced a preliminary investigation into the violent drug crackdowns, Duterte said the Philippines would withdraw from the ICC.

Last year, judges rejected a request from Duterte’s legal team to throw out the case because of the Philippine withdrawal. They said that countries cannot “abuse” their right to withdraw from the court’s foundational Rome Statute “by shielding persons from justice in relation to alleged crimes that are already under consideration.”

Earlier this year, an attempt by authorities to arrest another man wanted by the ICC in connection with the drug killings dissolved into gunfire in the Philippine Senate in May. No one was hurt. The court had unsealed an arrest warrant for Ronald Marapon dela Rosa, who served as national police chief under Duterte. Dela Rosa went into hiding following the Senate standoff and remains on the run.

In July, the Philippine Senate, acting as an impeachment court, opened a trial of Duterte’s daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte. If convicted of her charges, which include amassing unexplained wealth and publicly threatening the family of the current president, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., she may be permanently disqualified from holding public office. She denies the charges.