Former President Rodrigo Duterte will not appear before the International Criminal Court (ICC) Appeals Chamber as it delivers its decision on his appeal for interim release.

According to a filing dated on November 27, Duterte signed a formal waiver indicating that he would not exercise his right to attend the reading of the judgment.

Duterte's counsel, Atty. Nicholas Kaufman, informed the chamber that the former president had authorized his legal team to represent him in his absence.

“With the leave of the Appeals Chamber,¹ the Defence hereby places on the
record Mr Duterte’s signed waiver of his right to be present, on 28 November
2025, during the reading of the judgment on the Defence appeal against Pre-
Trial Chamber I’s decision on interim release,” the signed waiver stated.

The ruling is scheduled to be read in open court at 10:30 a.m. in The Hague (5:30 p.m. Manila time).

The Appeals Chamber is set to issue its decision on Duterte’s challenge to the earlier ruling by Pre-Trial Chamber I, which denied both his Urgent Request for Interim Release and his Renewed Request for Interim Release last September. His defense team has sought temporary liberty while proceedings on the charges against him continue.

Duterte is currently in detention at the ICC facility in The Hague as he faces charges of crimes against humanity connected to the deadly anti-drug campaign carried out during his administration.

The former president’s legal battles extend beyond The Hague. On November 18, the legal counsel of his daughter, Veronica “Kitty” Duterte, filed an urgent motion before the Philippine Supreme Court, seeking swift action on pending habeas corpus petitions aimed at compelling the government to facilitate Duterte’s return to the Philippines.