Former Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte was arrested at Manila airport on Tuesday after the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued a warrant for his arrest related to his so-called “war on drugs.”
“Early in the morning, Interpol Manila received the official copy of the warrant of arrest from the ICC,” President Ferdinand Marcos’ office said in a statement.
Duterte’s lawyer and others in his circle said the former president had boarded a plane for The Hague in the Netherlands at around 9 p.m. (1300 UTC).
“As I write this, he is being forcibly taken to The Hague tonight,” his daughter Vice President Sara Duterte said.
Authorities said the 79-year-old Duterte was in good health and had been examined by government doctors.
Allies protest Duterte’s arrest
Duterte was arrested after flying back to the Philippines from Hong Kong. Allies of the former president protested at the airport, saying they, and the doctor they had brought along, were unable to get close to Duterte.
The arrest warrant stated that there were grounds for Duterte’s detention based on the assumption that he would not voluntarily show up for his court summons.
“Mindful of the resultant risk of interference with the investigations and the security of witnesses and victims, the chamber is satisfied that the arrest of Mr Duterte is necessary,” the warrant read.
China said it was “closely monitoring” the situation and warned the ICC against “politicization” and “double standards,” according to a briefing from Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning.
Why did the ICC arrest Duterte?
The ICC charged Duterte with “the crime against humanity of murder.”
Duterte’s presidency of the South East Asian nation from 2016 to 2022 saw thousands of people killed. The “war on drugs” was the main campaign promise that helped Duterte become president in 2016.
According to police, 6,200 suspects were killed during anti-drug operations but activists say the real toll of the crackdown was far greater.
News agency Reuters said the arrest warrant cited at least 43 people who were killed during this time.
During his time in office, Duterte withdrew the Philippines from the ICC, which had initiated an investigation into the extrajudicial killings.
The formal inquiry launched in September 2021 was suspended two months later due to Manila’s re-examination of drug-related deaths, but resumed in July 2023 after a five-judge panel rejected the Philippines’ jurisdictional objection.
Marcos cooperates with ICC
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who succeeded Duterte in 2022 and became embroiled in a bitter political dispute with the former president and his daughter, Sara Duterte, has decided not to rejoin the ICC.
But the Marcos government has said it would cooperate if the ICC asks international police to take Duterte into custody through a so-called Red Notice, a request to law enforcement agencies worldwide to locate and temporarily detain a crime suspect.
Duterte himself has contested the arrest.
“Why will you bring me to the international body when we are no longer a member? Ponder on it seriously, because this will have implications,” Duterte told police while in custody according to a livestream on Instagram by his youngest daughter, Veronica Duterte.
“If I committed a sin, prosecute me in Philippine courts, with Filipino judges and I will allow myself to be jailed in my own nation.”
The ICC, based in The Hague, Netherlands, can step in when countries are unwilling or unable to prosecute suspects for the most heinous international crimes, including genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity.
Source: DW.com
