THE alleged victims of former president Rodrigo Duterte’s bloody war on drugs, along with their advocates, on Tuesday denounced the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) decision to postpone the start of his confirmation of charges hearing, calling it a delaying tactic meant to shield him from accountability.

The hearing, originally scheduled for Sept. 23, 2025, was postponed by Pre-Trial Chamber I following a request from Duterte’s lawyers, who claimed on Aug. 18 that the former president was unfit to stand trial.

In a decision issued Monday, the Chamber — composed of Presiding Judge Iulia Antonnella Motoc, Judge Reine Adélaïde Sophie Alapini-Gansou, and Judge María del Socorro Flores Liera — ruled by majority to suspend proceedings and related deadlines until Duterte’s fitness is resolved.

Victims’ groups Rise Up for Life and for Rights and the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL) condemned the ruling, describing it as “another desperate ploy” by Duterte.

“Duterte is notorious for drama and antics of obfuscation. Filipinos have seen this tactic one time too many. We will not fall for a calculated effort to paint himself as aggrieved,” the groups said in a joint statement.

Victims decry ICC's postponement of Duterte's trial

They stressed that questions of fitness should be addressed swiftly so the trial could proceed. If Duterte was genuinely unwell, they argued, he could waive his right to attend the hearing under Rule 124 of the ICC’s Rules of Procedure and Evidence and authorize his counsel to represent him.

“Victims are determined that the trial on the merits must proceed without unnecessary postponements,” said NUPL counsel Neri Colmenares, joined by assisting counsel Kristina Conti.

Both vowed to work with the Office of Public Counsel for Victims at the ICC to push for the earliest possible resetting of the hearing and explore remedies to prevent further delays.

The prosecution and the victims’ counsel had opposed an indefinite adjournment, though they said they were open to a short postponement.

The Chamber nevertheless ordered prosecutors to submit public, redacted versions of the Document Containing the Charges and the Pre-Confirmation Brief by Sept. 22., This news data comes from:http://www.redcanaco.com

Judge Flores Liera issued a sharp dissent, arguing that the Defense request should have been rejected outright.

She said the Rome Statute leaves questions of a suspect’s fitness to stand trial to the Trial Chamber, not the Pre-Trial Chamber.

She warned that the majority’s decision risked misapplying the Statute and causing “unnecessary delay.”

Duterte faces accusations of crimes against humanity over thousands of killings linked to his administration’s anti-narcotics campaign.