A JAPANESE non-governmental organization has formally submitted a written statement to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), raising grave concerns over what it described as the “prolonged and unjust detention” of former President Rodrigo Duterte in The Hague.
In a Facebook post on Aug. 4, Shun Ferguson Fujiki (Shunichi Fujiki), director of United Nations Affairs for the International Career Support Association (ICSA), announced that the UN Secretariat for Circulation formally accepted the letter ahead of the council’s 63rd session from Sept. 7 to Oct. 9, 2026.
The letter urges the UN body and the International Criminal Court (ICC) to examine potential violations of international human rights standards, citing the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), the Rome Statute, and the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (Nelson Mandela Rules).
In the four-page document, the group argued that Duterte’s pre-trial detention—which has exceeded 500 days following his arrest in March 2025—violated basic principles of international law, particularly given the 81-year-old former leader’s age and serious health conditions.
The NGO asserted that the ICC proceedings breached the principle of complementarity under Article 17 of the Rome Statute, maintaining that the Philippines possesses a fully functioning judiciary capable of conducting domestic legal processes.
“The decision to arrest and surrender Mr. Duterte appears driven less by the collapse of domestic justice than by the political rupture between President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and the Duterte family,” the statement read, claiming the court is being weaponized in an ongoing domestic political contest.
The document also cited concerns over evidence reliability, alleging that unauthorized and misidentified photographs were used during initial investigations into the previous administration’s anti-drug campaign.
Calls for immediate release
The group requested both the Philippine government and international bodies to immediately release Duterte, end alleged administrative measures targeting freedom of expression, and for the ICC to recognize that Duterte has become entangled in internal political conflicts.
Finally, the group also demanded a formal apology and appropriate reparations from the ICC to the Philippine public and the former leader.
Fujiki added that the NGO plans to conduct joint public activities with overseas Filipino worker (OFW) groups from Japan and European nations during the upcoming 63rd UNHRC session in Geneva.
Meanwhile, the International Criminal Court has yet to respond regarding this matter.
