Sara Duterte says father Rodrigo collapsed in ICC detention

Former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte. ARCHIVE

Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte has raised alarm over her father’s health, claiming former president Rodrigo Duterte was found unconscious in his room at the International Criminal Court (ICC) detention facility in The Hague. In a statement on Saturday (September 27), she said: “Credible information received by the family from hospital sources reveals that Former President Duterte had to be subjected to laboratory tests after being found unconscious on the floor of his room.” She added that the family was not informed of the incident, describing it as “alarming” and proof of the ICC’s alleged failure to safeguard detainees. The Vice President also complained that the ICC has “persistently ignored” requests for a 24-hour bedside caregiver and could not even address what she called an “easily treatable” toenail condition. “To deprive an elderly man — abducted, denied his rights under Philippine law, and subjected to surveillance disguised as ‘welfare checks’ — of basic dignity and proper care is not justice. This is cruelty,” she said. Duterte’s defense counsel Nicholas Kaufman confirmed that his client collapsed. “As a result of one of these incidents, he lost consciousness and was evacuated to hospital where he was assessed for cranial and brain injury. None of this was reported either to the defence team or to the family in real time,” he told media. The ICC declined to comment on Duterte’s medical condition, with spokesperson Fadi El Abdallah saying: “We don’t comment on private matters of the detainees. The Court takes all necessary measures for the preservation of physical and psychological wellbeing of all detainees.” The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs also defended the embassy’s recent consular visit, saying it was “professional, nonintrusive and respectful.” It stressed that visits are conducted only “with the approval or at the request of the person in detention.” “As to an alleged recent incident pertaining to the former President’s health condition, the Philippine Government has no information on such matter, and inquiries about it are best referred to the ICC Spokesperson,” the DFA said. Rodrigo Duterte, 80, has been detained since March as the ICC pursues charges over thousands of killings linked to his government’s “war on drugs.” His legal team has argued that his detention should be suspended due to “cognitive impairment” and his declining health. CAM/Expat Media