Manila, Oct. 24 -- Judges of the International Criminal Court (ICC) affirmed the court's jurisdiction in the crime against humanity case against former president Rodrigo Duterte.

In a ruling dated Oct. 23, ICC Pre-Trial Chamber I Judges Iulia Antoanella Motoc, Reine Adelade Sophie Alapini-Gansou, and Maria del Socorro Flores Liera rejected the defense's argument that the ICC cannot exercise jurisdiction over the case because the investigation into the war on drugs in the Philippines was only authorized in September 2021, two years after the country's effective withdrawal from the Rome Statute.

"The jurisdictional regime set out in Part 2 of the Statute continues to apply to this case as if the Philippines were still a Party to the Statu...