#News

Former President of the Philippines Rodrigo Duterte Arrested on ICC Warrant

2025.03.11

He is accused of mass killings of the country's residents from 2011 to 2019

Former President of the Philippines Rodrigo Duterte was arrested on Tuesday upon arrival from Hong Kong at Manila airport on a warrant from the International Criminal Court, accusing him of crimes against humanity, reports Associated Press citing the Philippine government.

The ICC accuses the 79-year-old former president of the Philippines of crimes against humanity due to the mass killings of the country's residents during the fight against illegal drug trafficking. The arrest warrant for Duterte states that the repressions continued for several years, and «thousands of people were apparently killed as a result».

«Upon his arrival, the Attorney General handed the former president the ICC notification of the arrest warrant for crimes against humanity, — the government statement said. — He is currently in custody». The warrant states that although Duterte is no longer president, he «apparently continues to wield significant power». Duterte's arrest was necessary «to ensure his appearance in court», as it is expected that he will ignore the summons.

«Given the risk of interference with the investigation and the safety of witnesses and victims, the chamber is convinced that Duterte's arrest is necessary», — stated in the warrant, which the agency reviewed.

The ICC began investigating the killings under Duterte from November 1, 2011, when he was still mayor of the southern city of Davao, to March 16, 2019. In 2019, Duterte withdrew the Philippines from the Rome Statute, which, according to human rights activists, was done to avoid accountability.

At the end of 2021, Duterte's administration demanded to suspend the investigation of the world court, stating that Philippine authorities were already dealing with the same accusations, and arguing that the ICC — a court of last resort — does not have jurisdiction. ICC appellate judges in 2023 ruled that the investigation could be resumed and rejected Duterte's administration's objections.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who succeeded Duterte in 2022 and found himself embroiled in a fierce political dispute with the former president, decided not to join the world court. But Marcos's administration stated that it would cooperate if the ICC asked international police to take Duterte into custody with the help of the so-called «red notice» — a request to law enforcement agencies worldwide to locate and temporarily arrest a suspect in a crime.

Duterte is to be delivered to Europe for transfer into ICC custody. When this will happen is still unknown.

Photo: AP

a