Former President Rodrigo Duterte, through his legal counsel, has reiterated his plea to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for interim release to an undisclosed country “subject to any conditions deemed appropriate.”
In a heavily redacted document dated August 19, 2025, Duterte’s lawyer Nicholas Kaufman informed the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber that the unnamed state remains willing to cooperate with the Court, accept Duterte onto its territory, and enforce release conditions.
“All the Prosecution’s objections to [the state] serving as a receiving country for the purposes of interim release are either negligible or negotiable,” the filing stated. It also argued that the issue delaying the hearing on the confirmation of charges negates any risk under Article 58(1)(b) that would justify Duterte’s continued detention.
The defense warned that resolving the matter could take months if the Prosecution is allowed to challenge the request, calling Duterte’s continued detention during this period “unfair and unreasonable.”
This marks the second request since June, when Duterte’s counsel asked that he be released to a country that has reportedly agreed to accept him. Kaufman said the Prosecution previously confirmed its non-opposition to the interim release, provided the conditions outlined in the filing’s annex are met.
Duterte is currently detained in The Hague while awaiting trial for crimes against humanity in connection with thousands of killings during his administration’s war on drugs and his tenure as Davao City mayor.
