How international law experts view Duterte’s opening defense at the ICCFormer president Rodrigo Duterte’s defense counsel, Nicholas Kaufman, attends the first day of confirmation of charges hearing at the International Criminal Court on Monday, Feb. 23, 2026. Michael Tiu Jr., who teaches at the University of the Philippines College of Law and heads its international criminal law program, said Kaufman was “very political” in his opening statement. Gaps in Kaufman’s initial defenseKaufman was last among the three parties to deliver their opening statement during the first day of Duterte’s confirmation of charges hearing on February 23. Tiu described the attacks as “irrelevant” in the context of international law and said the Pre-Trial Chamber I judges are trained to disregard them. The ‘reasonable’ argumentsIf Kaufman made any strong or reasonable arguments, Cruz-Ferrer said they were only “briefly mentioned” in his opening statement.

Source: Philippine Star February 25, 2026 10:38 UTC