British barrister Peter Haynes, born in 1960, has officially taken over as lead defense counsel for former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte in the crimes against humanity case before the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Although his exact birth date has not been publicly disclosed for privacy reasons, verified professional legal profiles and records from St Philips Chambers confirmed his birth year as 1960 following his appointment in May 2026.

Peter Hayness | Life, Lawyer, ICC, Issue

Haynes is regarded as one of the United Kingdom’s leading practitioners in international criminal and humanitarian law, with more than 25 years of experience handling complex criminal litigation. His legal career began after graduating from the University of Birmingham with a law degree in 1982. He was called to the Bar of England and Wales in 1983, officially beginning his practice as a barrister.

In 2008, Haynes was appointed Queen’s Counsel, now known as King’s Counsel (KC), a prestigious recognition given to senior lawyers with exceptional expertise and advocacy.

Before representing Duterte, Haynes became internationally known for serving as defense counsel for Jean-Pierre Bemba, former minister of defense and senator of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Bemba had been convicted of war crimes and crimes against humanity by the ICC, but the conviction was overturned on appeal in June 2018, resulting in his acquittal.

According to the St Philips Chambers profile, Haynes “famously secured his acquittal of all charges on appeal.” The case remains one of the most significant reversals in ICC history.

Haynes has also handled numerous high-profile criminal cases involving murder, serious fraud, sexual offenses, and human trafficking. He described himself as a “defence trial advocate with substantial experience before both the ad hoc international criminal tribunals and the International Criminal Court.”

He further noted his participation in what has been described as “the largest criminal trial since the Second World War,” referring to the Popović et al. case before the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.

The St Philips Chambers website also described Haynes as “one of the very few practitioners” to have led cases before the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, the ICC, and the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.

Among his notable international cases was his defense of General Vinko Pandurević in proceedings related to the Srebrenica massacre, one of the gravest atrocities during the Balkan conflicts of the 1990s.

Haynes’ appointment as Duterte’s lead counsel is expected to play a critical role as the former Philippine leader faces proceedings linked to allegations surrounding his administration’s anti-drug campaign.

Peter Haynes KC Brings Extensive International Law Experience ICC Defense

British barrister Peter Haynes continues to draw international attention following his appointment as lead counsel for former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte before the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Haynes replaced Nicholas Kaufman after the ICC Trial Chamber III approved Kaufman’s withdrawal as Duterte’s lawyer in connection with the crimes against humanity case tied to the controversial anti-illegal drugs campaign of the former president.

In a three-page filing dated May 8, Kaufman confirmed that Haynes had already been informed of all upcoming deadlines and was prepared to immediately assume representation. He also assured the ICC that Haynes would attend the scheduled status conference on May 27.

“Counsel has spoken to Mr. Haynes, who has indeed confirmed that he is ready, willing, and able to assume immediate representation and that his terms of engagement have been agreed,” Kaufman stated in his filing.

Kaufman further expressed confidence in Haynes’ legal capability, saying Duterte’s defense would remain effective because of Haynes’ “wealth of experience” before the ICC and the support of the existing defense team.

Haynes is widely recognized as one of the leading international criminal and humanitarian law practitioners in the United Kingdom. Over the course of his career, he has appeared in cases involving genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and international terrorism.

In 2024, the ICC appointed Haynes to represent Joseph Kony, the notorious leader of the Lord’s Resistance Army in the tribunal’s first in absentia hearings.

At the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, Haynes represented victims of the Beirut bombing that killed former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

According to St Philips Chambers, Haynes has played a major role in shaping jurisprudence, legal practice, and procedures concerning the representation of victims in international criminal and humanitarian law.

Beyond international tribunals, he has also worked for both prosecution and defense in criminal cases involving murder, serious fraud, sexual offenses, human trafficking, and complex conspiracies.

The British lawyer also handled several politically sensitive and high-profile legal actions. These included serving as lead counsel in a class action lawsuit against the British government over the alleged torture of prisoners in Cyprus, initiating proceedings against the ICC seeking $75 million in damages related to the freezing of Jean-Pierre Bemba’s assets, and representing the Tamil community before the Proscribed Organisations Appeal Commission in a case involving the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.

Haynes previously gained international prominence as defense counsel for Jean-Pierre Bemba, former defense minister and senator of the Democratic Republic of Congo. He successfully secured Bemba’s acquittal on appeal in 2018 after the ICC overturned earlier convictions for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

With decades of experience before international tribunals, Haynes is expected to play a crucial role in Duterte’s defense as proceedings before the ICC continue.

Peter Haynes KC Brings Extensive International Law Experience ICC Defense

Leave a Reply Cancel reply