Rights groups welcome ICC Appeals Chamber’s ruling upholding denial of Duterte’s bid for interim release
KARAPATAN Public Information
PRESS RELEASE
28 November 2025
Rights groups welcome ICC Appeals Chamber’s ruling upholding denial of Duterte’s bid for interim release
QUEZON CITY, PHILIPPINES – KARAPATAN and HUSTISYA (Victims United for Justice) welcomed the November 28 judgment of the International Criminal Court (ICC) Appeals Chamber upholding the Pre-Trial Chamber I’s earlier decision denying former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte’s request for interim release.
The judgment, which was delivered in an open court and live-streamed via the ICC website, was received by human rights advocates and families of drug war victims who gathered at the UP Law Center at 5:30 p.m. (Philippine time) to await the Appeals Chamber’s decision. The ruling was met with optimism by families who have raised that Duterte’s release would derail the long-delayed road toward justice.
“The victims have already waited far too long for Duterte’s trial to begin. With the Appeals Chamber upholding the denial of interim release, the hearing on confirmation of charges against Duterte should immediately commence. No more delays!” said KARAPATAN Secretary General Cristina Palabay.
Palabay stressed that allowing Duterte to walk free pending trial would have exposed witnesses and families to even graver risks, a situation that has been repeatedly raised by victims’ groups since Duterte first petitioned for interim release. “Also, had the ICC allowed his interim release, there would have been no assurance that he would appear for future hearings, especially with the propensity of Duterte and his ilk in evading accountability.”
“This decision brings a measure of certainty to the victims’ quest for justice at the ICC,” she said. “It does not mean the struggle is over, but it keeps the path open, and the victims have that degree of assurance that Duterte is in prison,” Palabay added.
KARAPATAN and HUSTISYA also emphasized that the Appeals Chamber’s ruling upholds the ICC’s earlier assessment that Duterte’s continued detention remains necessary and proportionate, given the gravity of the charges, the risks posed to witnesses, and Duterte’s capacity to obstruct justice.
“We welcome this ruling as just and necessary,” Palabay added. “We remain committed to pursuing the case against Duterte at the ICC, especially given the impossibility of attaining even an iota of justice from Philippine courts. We will continue to engage all available platforms—inside and outside the courtroom, in the country and abroad—to ensure that the thousands of lives lost to the drug war are not forgotten.”
“Justice and accountability remain our goals,” said KARAPATAN. “This ruling brings us another step closer.”
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KARAPATAN is an alliance of human rights organizations and programs, human rights desks and committees of people’s organizations, and individual advocates committed to the defense and promotion of people’s rights and civil liberties. It monitors and documents cases of human rights violations, assists and defends victims and conducts education, training and campaign. It was established in 1995.