International court postpones hearing on Duterte's drug crackdown

The Hague: The International Criminal Court on Monday postponed until further notice a crimes against humanity hearing concerning former Philippines...

The Hague: The International Criminal Court on Monday postponed "until further notice" a crimes against humanity hearing concerning former Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte, while judges weigh his fitness to take part.

Duterte was scheduled to appear at the ICC on September 23 to hear the charges over his years-long campaign against drug users and dealers that rights groups say killed thousands.

But the court decided to adjourn the hearing until it could rule on a defence motion that the 80-year-old was "not fit to stand trial".

"Litigation regarding Mr Duterte's fitness to participate in the pre-trial proceedings is ongoing in connection with the Defence's Adjournment Request," said the court in a statement.

Hence the court decided that a "limited postponement of the hearing on the confirmation of charges is warranted to allow sufficient time to adjudicate" on the defence request.