AMSTERDAM, Oct 8 (Reuters) – Judges at the International Criminal Court have found that former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is fit to stand trial, the court said on Thursday.
• Duterte, 81, is due to go on trial on November 30 to face charges of murder and attempted murder as crimes against humanity related to his war on drugs
• Judges said a panel of medical experts concluded Duterte is able to effectively exercise his fair trial rights in the proceedings and is therefore fit to stand trial
• The experts found Duterte has some physical and mental slowing in line with his overall age and frailty, but said he could understand the trial and assist his defence
• Lawyers for the former Philippine leader had argued that he suffers from cognitive decline and thus is not well enough to stand trial
• Prosecutors say Duterte was criminally responsible for the deaths of at least 76 people during his anti-narcotics campaign, which they say killed thousands of civilians broadly between 2016 and 2022
• In February, Nicholas Kaufman, then Duterte’s lawyer, said the charges had been politically motivated
• Trials at the ICC, the world’s only permanent war crimes court, generally last several years before reaching a judgment
• If convicted, Duterte faces a maximum sentence of life in prison
(Reporting by Stephanie Van Den Berg, editing by Inti Landauro and Xevi Fontdegloria)
