Former Philippines leader Duterte appears in ICC courtroom

FILE PHOTO: Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte attends the House Quad Committee hearing investigating his administration's war on drugs, at the House of Representatives, in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines, November 13, 2024. REUTERS/Lisa Marie David/File Photo

THE HAGUE, Sept 16 (Reuters) - ⁠Former Philippines president RodrigoDuterte ‌appeared in public for the first time on Wednesday since ​being transferred to ⁠the International Criminal ⁠Court 18 months ago to ⁠face ‌murder charges related to his ⁠war on drugs.

Duterte, 81, appeared in ​the ‌ICC courtroom in The ⁠Hague dressed ​in a black suit and white shirt, for ⁠a hearing about ​hishealth and ability to stand trial, which is scheduled to ⁠begin in November.

He did not speak in court.

His lawyers have argued that ​he suffers ⁠from cognitive decline and is ​not well ‌enough to stand trial.

(Reporting ​by Anthony deutsch, editing by Bart Meijer)