MANILA, Philippines — The International Criminal Court (ICC) Chamber III said Wednesday it does not plan to schedule breaks during former President Rodrigo Duterte’s trial before the Christmas recess.
Presiding Judge Joanna Korner said during the chamber’s third status conference that the trial will proceed from Nov. 30 until the Christmas break, with proceedings set to resume in January.
“Therefore we are not intending, because it is important that this trial goes forward as quickly as possible, to do those types of breaks just so everybody’s aware,” Korner said.
Korner said the chamber will hear the parties’ submissions on the matter during the next status conference.
Duterte’s trial will begin Nov. 30 as he faces three counts of crimes against humanity linked to his administration’s war on drugs.
The ICC prosecution alleges that the drug war resulted in thousands of deaths. Government records put the death toll at at least 6,000, while human rights groups have reported more than 30,000 deaths, including children.
The former president appeared in person before the ICC earlier this week during proceedings related to his case.