The International Criminal Court (ICC) has completed the selection of a new panel of medical experts to evaluate the health of former President Rodrigo Duterte, resolving weeks of delay caused by issues with the previously proposed team.

Announced on November 14, the court’s decision installs a new group of specialists and sets a firm deadline of December 12, 2025, for the submission of their official medical findings.

The case has been effectively frozen since September, when Duterte’s defense asserted that he was too ill to participate in the proceedings.

He faces allegations of murder as a crime against humanity in connection with the Philippines’ anti-drug campaign.

Now that the medical review process has been formally restored, the ICC is expected to deliver a ruling on Duterte’s fitness once the panel’s report is in. If he is deemed able to participate, the trial—halted for months—can move forward.

Duterte Legal Team Files Jurisdiction Appeal, Seeks Immediate Release

On the same day the medical panel was finalized, Duterte’s legal team filed a 21-page “Appeal Brief on Jurisdiction” before the ICC Appeals Chamber. The filing challenges the October 23, 2025, ruling of Pre-Trial Chamber I, which held that the ICC retains jurisdiction over the case despite the Philippines’ withdrawal from the Rome Statute in 2019.

The defense argued that the Pre-Trial Chamber committed legal errors in interpreting jurisdictional provisions and insisted that the ICC’s authority ceased upon the Philippines' formal withdrawal from the treaty.

In their motion, Duterte’s lawyers asked the Appeals Chamber to:

• Reverse the Pre-Trial Chamber’s earlier decision

• Declare that the ICC no longer has jurisdiction over Duterte’s case

• Order his immediate and unconditional release

The jurisdiction dispute adds another layer of complexity to the long-running case, which has been at the center of international attention due to the alleged human rights violations committed during Duterte’s anti-drug campaign.

As the ICC moves forward with the medical review and the Appeals Chamber begins evaluating the jurisdiction challenge, both the legal and procedural paths ahead remain tightly contested.