The International Criminal Court (ICC) Appeals Chamber has rejected the request by former Philippine President Duterte's camp for provisional release.
The Appeals Chamber upheld the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber's decision made on January 26, which, considering flight risk, orders Duterte to remain in custody at the ICC Detention Center in the Netherlands.
On Friday night, ICC spokesperson Oriane Mahelet stated: “The Appeals judges unanimously confirm the Pre-Trial Chamber’s decision that Duterte must remain in custody.”
She pointed out: “The Appeals Chamber rejected all defense arguments and completely dismissed the grounds for appeal.”
Earlier, the defense put forward an appeal ground, claiming that the Pre-Trial Chamber made “factual and legal errors and abused its discretion” when handling a previously submitted health report on Duterte. The report was provided by one of the parties involved in the proceedings.
The Appeals Chamber found that this health report did not provide any new information regarding Duterte’s health status, and the two designated medical experts did not conduct a new examination of him.
The Appeals Chamber also pointed out that the assessment of flight risk factors, including the impact of health conditions on such risk, “falls within the Pre-Trial Chamber’s legal discretion and does not require assistance from medical experts.”