Australia, Belgium shut door on hosting Duterte’s interim release

Danniell Domingo

Australia and Belgium have both declined to host former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte if the International Criminal Court (ICC) grants his request for interim release.

Kristina Conti, assistant counsel to the ICC and a lawyer representing victims of Duterte’s drug war, confirmed that no country so far is willing to act as a third-party host for the former president.

“There’s no country on record that is willing to serve as host or as a third country in the interim release of the former president,” Conti said on June 27.

She added that ICC prosecutors are opposing Duterte’s petition, given that he faces charges of crimes against humanity for the thousands of deaths linked to his anti-drug campaign.

Conti also pointed out that this is the first time a Filipino has been detained at the ICC and the first time an Asian leader has been charged with crimes against humanity before the court.

Australia, though a party to the Rome Statute, deferred to the ICC’s authority and clarified it would not accommodate Duterte.

Vice President Sara Duterte, meanwhile, insisted her father’s legal team never formally petitioned the Australian government for interim release.

“I’d like to clarify that the defense team of President Duterte never reached out to the Australian government to discuss this interim release. There is no application of former President Duterte for interim release in Australia,” Vice President Duterte said in a statement on June 27.

This dismissed the speculation that her recent trip to Melbourne was related to such a request.

On the other hand, Belgium outright rejected the request, as the country had previously declined to accept another ICC detainee, according to Conti.

ICC practice rarely grants interim release to individuals facing grave charges such as genocide or crimes against humanity.

Hundreds of Filipinos gathered in Melbourne on June 22 to show support for Vice President Sara Duterte and to push for dropping the ICC charges against her father.

Anakbayan Melbourne and other Filipino community groups protested Sara Duterte’s visit and her alleged misuse of public funds.

Protesters also demanded accountability from the Marcos administration for human rights abuses and alleged stolen wealth.

The elder Duterte has been detained at the ICC facility in The Hague since March 2025, charged with crimes against humanity over his anti-drug campaign.