ICC Finalizes Pre-Trial Schedule for Duterte Case Ahead of November 30 Opening

The ICC’s final pre-trial status conference set the practical terms for Rodrigo Duterte’s trial, scheduled to begin November 30: opening statements, witness estimates and daily hearing hours. The court also left room for Duterte’s defense to address the chamber at the outset, though that position is not yet final.

Opening statements and language access

Prosecutors expect to spend four to six hours on their opening statement, followed by about three hours from the Common Legal Representatives of the Victims. Presiding Judge Joanna Korner asked defense lawyer Peter Haynes whether he would outline Duterte’s defense when the trial begins. Defense teams do not traditionally give opening statements at the ICC, but Haynes said he was more likely than not to speak, given the case’s stature and Duterte’s status. He said he would confirm the position within days.

The victims’ lawyers also asked to quote parts of victims’ accounts in Tagalog during their opening. Paolina Massidda, Principal Counsel at the Office of Public Counsel for Victims, said hearing those passages in Filipino could help victims follow how their experiences are presented to the court.

Korner pointed to the Rome Statute’s provision that English and French are the court’s working languages. She said the remarks would be interpreted and noted that Tagalog is not spoken by all victims. The request put a practical question of courtroom access on the schedule: how to make testimony resonate with victims while ensuring the proceedings remain accessible to everyone following them.

Daily hearing limits and 2027 calendar

The chamber adopted a hearing day built around expert advice that Duterte should not sit for more than an hour at a time. Sessions will run from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m., followed by a half-hour break; resume from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.; pause for lunch until 1:30 p.m.; and continue in two one-hour blocks, with another half-hour break between 2:30 and 3 p.m. The final session ends at 4 p.m.

For 2027, the parties proposed three weeks of hearings from January 11 to 29, a week off from February 1 to 5, two further weeks from February 8 to 19, a two-week break from February 22 to March 5, and a final three-week stretch from March 8 to 26. Prosecutor Julian Nicholls said the parties hoped to keep the week of February 22 free because it coincides with school breaks affecting members of several teams.

Witnesses and evidence still to resolve

The prosecution plans to call five witnesses in the first batch of evidence. The first is expected to take six hours; the next two will require less time, while the final two are each expected to testify for four hours. Korner asked whether witnesses appearing in person could be heard before those testifying by video link. Nicholls said at least 29 witnesses are expected to testify remotely.

The parties also returned to the size of the evidence record, which has been raised at earlier status conferences. Nicholls said prosecutors would meet with the other parties to look for agreements that could reduce the need to rely on parts of the material. The Monday hearing also moved into closed session several times to address confidential matters.

Duterte, detained in The Hague since March 2025, waived his right to attend this conference, and the chamber granted the request. Korner said the exception reflected the expected brevity of the hearing; she expects Duterte to attend daily once the trial begins. He appeared at status conferences on September 16 and October 13, with the September hearing marking his first ICC appearance since his arrest.

The remaining questions are concrete: whether the defense will make an opening statement, how the first witnesses will be sequenced, and whether the parties can narrow the evidence they need to present. Those decisions will shape the trial’s first weeks when proceedings open on November 30.