Former President Duterte Suffers Severe Memory Loss Amid ICC Trial

Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is said to be suffering from severe memory loss, which occasionally causes him to forget the names of his own lawyers. This was revealed during the International Criminal Court (ICC) proceedings held in The Hague on Wednesday (16/9) local time.

Duterte, who is now 81 years old, appeared in court for the first time since being transferred to the ICC approximately 18 months ago, according to AFP on Thursday (17/9/2026). He faces charges of crimes against humanity related to the ‘war on drugs’ policy he launched in the Philippines.

ICC prosecutors claim that Duterte’s policy has claimed thousands of lives.

The trial for Duterte’s case was originally scheduled to begin on 30 November. However, ICC judges are currently considering whether the former Philippine President is mentally fit to be tried and have ordered three experts to conduct medical examinations on him.

The results of these examinations have not yet been published. However, Duterte’s legal team and ICC prosecutors provided responses in documents dated 14 September, which were published on the official ICC website on Tuesday (15/9) local time.

“Duterte is experiencing significant memory impairment that hinders his ability to retain current information and access memories reliably,” stated the head of Duterte’s legal team, Peter Haynes, in the documents published online.

According to Haynes, this condition makes it impossible for Duterte to understand the case against him, let alone provide adequate instructions to his Lead Counsel—whose name he can only occasionally remember.

Haynes stated that he and his team have been forced to prepare for the trial without meaningful input from Duterte.

According to the legal team’s documents, several examination results indicate that Duterte believes he is living in 2007 or 2008, feels he is 84 or 85 years old, and cannot remember the name of the current President of the United States.

Meanwhile, ICC prosecutors, in a seven-page document with many parts redacted, argued that Duterte is “able to meaningfully exercise his procedural rights and right to a fair trial, and is fit to stand trial.”

Under ICC rules, trial proceedings cannot proceed if a defendant is unable to understand the charges or cannot participate meaningfully in their own defence.