ICC junks Duterte’s bid for interim release

National

RODRIGO Duterte will not walk free — at least not yet.

The ICC’s Appeals Chamber has turned down his bid for interim release, affirming that the former Philippine leader remains in detention as the court weighs charges of crimes against humanity.

ICC spokesperson Oriane Maillet confirmed Friday, March 6, that the appellate judges unanimously upheld the January 26 ruling of Pre-Trial Chamber I.

“The Appeals judges unanimously confirm the decision of Pre-Trial Chamber I, which had remanded Mr. Duterte in detention,” Maillet said in a Philstar report.

The Appeals Chamber dismissed all arguments raised by Duterte’s defense team, rejecting their claims entirely.

His lawyers had argued that the pre-trial chamber improperly disregarded a medical report on his health, asserting that the court “erred in fact and in law, and abused its discretion” by setting aside the report simply because it was submitted by a party involved in the proceedings. They maintained that the report contained new information that should have been considered in reviewing his detention.

The Appeals Chamber, however, found that the report did not present fresh medical evidence. The ruling noted that no independent clinical re-examination of Duterte was conducted and that the report relied solely on existing medical assessments.

The court also emphasized that evaluating the impact of health conditions on detention risks is a legal determination for the judges themselves.

The chamber explained that assessing such risk factors, including Duterte’s health, is a matter for the Pre-Trial Chamber to decide and does not require additional input from medical practitioners.

Court-appointed medical experts had already provided the most current assessment during the initial detention review, leaving no basis to overturn the previous decision.(MyTVCebu)