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Former Philippine President Duterte suffers 'significant' memory loss and may be unfit for trial for crimes against humanity, defense saysPhoto by VBlock on Pexels
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Former Philippine President Duterte suffers 'significant' memory loss and may be unfit for trial for crimes against humanity, defense says

oglobo15 September 2026 at 14:38

Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte suffers from significant memory loss and sometimes even forgets his own lawyer's name, according to his defense team. The lawyers are using this condition to question whether the former president, 81 years old, has the mental capacity to participate in the trial before the International Criminal Court (ICC), scheduled to begin on November 30.

Duterte was arrested in Manila for crimes against humanity and transferred to The Hague in 2025. He faces charges related to his so-called "war on drugs," during which thousands of people died, according to the prosecution.

The ICC judges are currently assessing whether Duterte is mentally fit to stand trial. To do this, they have ordered an evaluation by three independent specialists.

The defense submitted a 13-page document arguing about the former president's condition in the case.

Why this matters

This case is relevant because it involves a former head of state being tried internationally for crimes against humanity, setting precedents for accountability of leaders for human rights violations. Readers are following whether the transfer of Duterte to The Hague will result in a fair trial and whether his health condition will be used as a defense strategy.

About this summary

This is our short summary of a report published by oglobo on 15 September 2026 at 14:38; the full text stays with the publisher. In our feed it sits under Politics. We currently carry 30607 items in that section.

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