ISTANBUL (Bernama-Anadolu): Former Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte's lawyers told the International Criminal Court (ICC) that he is suffering from "significant cognitive deficiencies," according to an Aug 18 defence request made public by the court on Thursday.
Duterte, who is facing a crimes against humanity case, "suffers from significant cognitive deficiencies that affect his memory, his daily executive functioning, his visuoconstructive abilities, and his orientation to place and time while, simultaneously, limiting his capacity for complex reasoning," it said.
The defence argued that he was not fit to stand trial as a result of his cognitive impairment.
Duterte's condition will not improve and, "for this reason, the Pre-Trial Chamber must adjourn all legal proceedings in his case indefinitely," it said.
Duterte, 80, was arrested on March 11 in Manila under an ICC warrant and flown to The Hague the same day.
He is accused of being responsible for thousands of deaths during his so-called war on drugs between 2016 and 2022. - Bernama-Anadolu
