Ex-Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte Arrested on ICC Crimes Against Humanity

By Staff, Agencies

Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte was arrested in Manila on Tuesday morning under an International Criminal Court [ICC] warrant for crimes against humanity linked to his war on drugs.

He was taken into custody at 9:20 a.m. local time after arriving from Hong Kong aboard Cathay Pacific flight CX 907, according to a statement from the Philippine government.

"The former President and his group are in good health and were examined by government doctors to ensure his well-being," the statement said.

Duterte's daughter, Veronica Duterte, was among his party at the time of the arrest and used her Instagram account to protest her father's detention.

In another post, Duterte himself, speaking in English, protested the legality of his detention:

"Show it to me now the legal basis for my being here. Apparently, I was brought here not by my own volition. It's somebody else's," he said. "So you need to answer now for the deprivation of liberty."

"What is the law and what is the crime that I committed?" he continued.

Duterte's war on drugs, which began shortly after he took office in June 2016, resulted in the deaths of between 12,000 and 30,000 Filipinos.

The ICC launched a preliminary examination into the campaign in February 2018, prompting Duterte's administration to withdraw from the court, a move that took effect in March 2019. However, in September 2021, the ICC formally opened an investigation into crimes against humanity, specifically murder, dating back to Duterte's time as mayor of Davao City.

The probe covered allegations from November 1, 2011, to March 16, 2019, when the Philippines officially exited the ICC. Duterte's government argued that the court no longer had jurisdiction, but the ICC refuted this claim, asserting its right to investigate crimes committed while the Philippines was still a member.

In January 2023, an ICC appeals panel allowed the investigation to resume after it had been suspended in November 2021 when Manila requested a deferral to conduct its own review.

Duterte left office in 2022 and had largely avoided accountability for his campaign.

Leila de Lima, a lawyer, former senator, and outspoken Duterte critic who was jailed for nearly seven years during his presidency, reacted to his arrest, calling it "deeply personal."