Former President of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, was detained following an Interpol-issued arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court (ICC) upon his arrival at Manila’s primary airport from Hong Kong, as reported by government sources on Tuesday.
The ICC intends to investigate alleged crimes against humanity linked to Duterte’s leadership in the controversial “war on drugs,” which resulted in the deaths of thousands of Filipinos.
While in Hong Kong on Monday, Duterte expressed his readiness to face arrest should the ICC decide to issue a warrant, maintaining his stance in defense of the anti-drug campaign. He has consistently denied any directives authorizing police to kill drug suspects outside of self-defense situations.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr’s office announced they received the warrant, which police executed upon Duterte’s arrival, leading to his current custody.
Salvador Panelo, Duterte’s former legal advisor, criticized the arrest as unlawful, claiming that officials did not permit a lawyer to meet with Duterte at the airport.
In 2019, in response to the ICC’s initial inquiry into alleged systematic extrajudicial killings, Duterte led the Philippines to withdraw from the court’s founding treaty. The nation has since resisted ICC’s investigative attempts until recently.
In office, Duterte gained ascent in 2016 as a defiant mayor committed to eradicating crime, promising during his fiery speeches to eliminate narcotics dealers en masse. Official police records indicate that 6,200 suspects were killed during anti-drug operations, labeled as shootout conclusions.
However, activists argue the death toll is substantially higher, with numerous slum-dwelling users, many identified on government watch lists, dying under ambiguous circumstances. Law enforcement denies any involvement in these deaths, rebuffing the claims of systematic executions and cover-ups by human rights organizations.
