Former President Rodrigo Duterte has appealed to his supporters to allow the legal process before the International Criminal Court at The Hague to continue without external interference, Vice President Sara Duterte said yesterday after gatherings in the Philippines and in other parts of the world marked her father’s 80th birthday on Friday.
This as 17 Filipinos were arrested in Qatar for participating in an “unauthorized” political protest on March 28, which Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega said may have been related to Duterte’s arrest.
“My father said that if you want to express your support, anger, or joy – that you not discuss his case or its developments, particularly regarding the complainants or complaints filed with the ICC,” the Vice President said.
She also confirmed that her father’s common-law partner Honeylet Avanceña and daughter Veronica were finally able to visit him at the ICC detention center for almost three hours on Friday.
The Vice President also disclosed that her father’s legal team is still in the process of recruiting another lawyer for his defense, aside from looking for a Filipino lawyer to join the defense panel.
Duterte marked his 80th birthday behind bars at The Hague where he stands accused of crimes against humanity of murder over his years-long campaign against drug users and dealers that rights groups said killed thousands.
His next court appearance is scheduled for September 23, 2025 for the confirmation of charges.
Earlier, the Philippine Embassy in Doha said the Filipinos were “arrested and detained for suspected unauthorized political demonstrations in Qatar.”
“They held a rally,” De Vega said. “We have already sent our officials. We are monitoring the situation. In many cases, if the individuals are deemed harmless, they are detained for a few days and then eventually released.”
Meanwhile, a Catholic Church leadership in Canada withdrew permission for the use of churches in Montreal for a rally of Duterte supporters, a rights group said.
The International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines – Quebec Chapter said it had written to the Catholic Church of Montreal to oppose the gathering that would have coincided with Duterte’s birthday.
The group said “holding such an event in a sacred place—within a Catholic Church—seems deeply disturbing to us, given the heavy liability of [Duterte] on human rights violations and public contempt for the Church.”
The ICC said in its arrest warrant there were “reasonable grounds to believe” at least 19 people had been murdered in the city by members of the “Davao Death Squad” headed by Duterte.
Additionally, based on the warrant, at least 24 people were killed by Philippines police in various locations.