THE HAGUE: The International Criminal Court postponed "until further notice" a crimes against humanity hearing concerning former Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte, while judges weigh his fitness to take part. Duterte was scheduled to appear at the ICC on September 23 to hear the charges over his years-long campaign against drug users and dealers that rights groups say killed thousands.
But the court decided to adjourn the hearing until it could rule on a defence motion that the 80-year-old was "not fit to stand trial". "Litigation regarding Mr Duterte's fitness to participate in the pre-trial proceedings is ongoing in connection with the Defence's Adjournment Request," said the court in a statement. Hence the court decided that a "limited postponement of the hearing on the confirmation of charges is warranted to allow sufficient time to adjudicate" on the defence request.
The three-judge panel was split on the decision, with one dissenting. The postponement will be "limited to the time strictly necessary to determine whether Mr Duterte is fit to follow and participate in the pre-trial proceedings", the ICC said. — AFP
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