Judges at the International Criminal Court (ICC) have ruled that former President Rodrigo Duterte is healthy enough to face trial. His overall health has improved since his arrest in February last year, they said. This means that he can be present at his trial and fully participate in it in person. The trial for crimes against humanity is scheduled to begin Nov. 30.
The decision from Trial Chamber III came down Sept. 28 in a 17-page ruling, but was only made public Thursday night. Duterte was examined by a panel of three experts and no sign of deterioration of his mental state or thinking ability was discovered but they did note some inconsistencies.
The judges said they had no reason to believe he was still physically weak or needed medical and nursing care for some undisclosed condition the court did not disclose. They said his overall physical health “appears to have been optimized” by the high quality of care he has received, including careful tests and review of his medicines. The same panel also examined him before the trial. The experts were selected by the panel in June to examine him again for the trial stage. Since his arrest, Duterte has been detained in The Hague and is under medical care and observation by the ICC.