Joselito Malig

Article (news)

Carmelle Lacuata

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1779190230336kategibson (1).jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Australian lawyer Kate Gibson has been appointed as associate counsel for former president Rodrigo Duterte. ICC-CPI/file</span></span></span></div><div><br/></div>MANILA -- The International Criminal Court (ICC) announced that Australian lawyer Kate Gibson has been appointed as associate counsel for former president Rodrigo Duterte.<p>In a document dated May 18, the Registry informed Trial Chamber III of Gibson’s appointment as Duterte’s associate counsel, upon the request of lead counsel Peter Haynes KC.</p><p>Haynes made the request on May 18, and Gibson accepted the appointment on the same day.</p><p>Gibson has been appearing before international courts and tribunals since 2005, representing accused in cases involving different conflicts. </p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/177919032399241774119365_0065563a28_k.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">ICC-CPI file photo of Kate Gibson together with Peter Haynes after the ICC Appeals Chamber acquitted Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo from the charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity in 2018.</span></span></span></div><p>She also worked with Haynes in the case of former Congolese Vice President Jean-Pierre Bemba, who was acquitted in 2018.</p><p>Gibson also represented Congolese militia leader Bosco Ntaganda, and Ugandan militant and warlord Joseph Kony. She likewise represented Rohingya victims in the Bangladesh/Myanmar situation.</p><p>In 2018, Gibson was appointed as a legal consultant to the UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for Myanmar.</p><p>She holds an LL.M in International Law from Cambridge University, and is a member of the International Criminal Court Association (ICCBA), Association of Defence Counsel practicing before the International Courts and Tribunals (ADC-ICT), and the Australian and New Zealand Society of International Law (ANZSIL).</p><p>Duterte will face trial before the ICC  after judges confirmed crimes against humanity charges tied to his war on drugs.</p><p>The Hague-based tribunal said its ICC Pre-Trial Chamber I “unanimously confirmed all the charges” against Duterte and “committed him to trial”, based on arguments and evidence presented during 4-day hearings in February.</p><p>It added that pre-trial judges concluded that &quot;there are substantial grounds to believe that Mr. Duterte is responsible for the crimes against humanity of murder and attempted murder&quot; between November 1, 2011 and March 16, 2019, covering Duterte’s time as Davao City mayor and later as president.</p><p>“These crimes were committed as part of a widespread and systematic attack against a civilian population,” it added.The 81-year-old will be the first Asian former head of state to face trial at the ICC, which prosecutes individuals for the world&#x27;s worst crimes such as war crimes and crimes against humanity.</p><div><strong>RELATED STORIES</strong></div><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/5/16/duterte-s-new-icc-lawyer-seeks-another-fitness-review-1843">Duterte&#x27;s new ICC lawyer seeks another fitness review</a></div><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/5/19/icc-releases-duterte-signed-appointment-document-for-new-counsel-0045">ICC releases Duterte-signed appointment document for new counsel</a></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3oEA5QmOenI?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>The International Criminal Court (ICC) announced that Australian lawyer Kate Gibson has been appointed as associate counsel for former president Rodrigo Duterte.</p>

The International Criminal Court (ICC) announced that Australian lawyer Kate Gibson has been appointed as associate counsel for former president Rodrigo Duterte.

Australian lawyer Kate Gibson joins Duterte's ICC defense team

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Australian lawyer Kate Gibson joins Duterte's ICC defense team

Rose Carmelle Lacuata,

ABS-CBN News

Published May 19, 2026 07:35 PM PHT

Read More:

ICC

International Criminal Court

Kate Gibson

Rodrigo Duterte

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