Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has appointed British barrister Peter Haynes as his new legal counsel before the International Criminal Court (ICC), following the withdrawal of previous defense lawyers Nicholas Kaufman and Dov Jacobs as the case moves closer to trial.


_{Photo courtesy of St. Philips Barristers}

Haynes is a highly experienced international criminal law practitioner with more than 25 years of work before major tribunals in The Hague, including the ICC, the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), and the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.

He is widely known for his defense work in high-profile international cases. At the ICC, Haynes successfully represented former Congolese Vice President Jean-Pierre Bemba, contributing to Bemba’s acquittal on appeal for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

He also served as lead defense counsel in complex proceedings involving genocide, war crimes, and terrorism-related cases.

At the ICTY, he defended Bosnian Serb General Vinko Pandurević in relation to the Srebrenica massacre. He has also appeared before the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, representing victims of the Beirut bombing that killed former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

In 2024, Haynes was appointed by the ICC to represent the interests of Ugandan militant leader Joseph Kony in in absentia proceedings, further highlighting his involvement in landmark international cases.

From 2019 to 2021, he served as president of the International Criminal Court Bar Association, becoming the first person to be re-elected to the position.

Beyond international tribunals, Haynes has also handled criminal cases in the United Kingdom involving murder, fraud, sexual offenses, and human trafficking and has advised governments and international organizations on legal matters.

Duterte’s appointment of Haynes comes as his ICC case progresses following the Pre-Trial Chamber’s decision confirming charges of crimes against humanity linked to alleged killings during his anti-drug campaign. The case is now moving into the trial preparation stage under a newly constituted ICC Trial Chamber.