On June 19, the International Association of Democratic Lawyers (IADL) issued a formal call to ICC Pre Trial Chamber I to review the former President Duterte’s motion for interim release under the Rome Statute protections (Articles 58–60). In their view, granting such relief risks undermining accountability for grave crimes against humanity allegedly committed during his bloody presidency.
“The IADL believes that accountability must prevail,” said Edre Olalia, the IADL’s transitional president in a statement. “In contrast to the lack of due process in Duterte’s war on drugs, his charges in the ICC require a full, unhindered judicial process. To grant him interim release now threatens or intimidates victims, their families, witnesses and lawyers.”
Rights groups, including relatives of drug war victims, have highlighted the threat of intensified online harassment and reprisals since Duterte surrendered to the ICC on March 11.
A coalition of civil society organizations at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva also voiced alarm, calling for stronger protections against intimidation of victims’ families and urging advocates worldwide to keep close watch on the ICC process.
“Regrettably, the pursuit of justice for families in the Philippines has been met with online attacks—false images, fabricated narratives, misogynistic hate speech, and rampant disinformation—designed to discredit and intimidate,” Mervin Toquero, co-lead of the Philippine Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Watch, said in a statement before the members of the 59th UN Human Rights Council.
Meanwhile, the Philippine reactionary senate delayed Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial, originally anticipated after the May 12 midterm elections. According to reports, the unexpected electoral success of seven pro Duterte senators has thrown the upcoming trial into disarray.
Facing shifting allegiances, the Senate on June 10 surprisingly returned the impeachment articles to the House for recertification, citing procedural issues—a maneuver seen as a direct consequence of the new Senate composition.
Critics argue this tactical delay is less about judicial review and more a protective move amid the altered political balance. Legal experts and impeachment prosecutors are now urging the Senate to assert its authority and proceed with the trial, warning that further delay risks eroding public trust and undermining constitutional accountability.