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The International Criminal Court has been investigating Duterte since 2018 for its anti-drug war, which killed thousands while he was in office.
Manila, Philippines – The office of President of the Philippines reported the arrest of the country’s former leader, Rodrigo Duterte, after receiving an application from the International Criminal Court (ICC).
On Tuesday at Manila Airport, Duterte was custody when he arrived from Hong Kong, according to the Filipino government, which received the ICC application through the International Police Authority Interpol.
“When he arrived, the Attorney General of the ICC notification served for an arrest warrant to the former president due to crime against humanity,” said the government in a statement.
“He is now in the care of the authorities,” it said.
The indictment of “crimes against humanity” is related to the brutal anti-drug drive from Duterte. The so -called “war against drugs”, while Duterte was in office from 2016 to 2022, was withdrawn from the suspect of the “proper procedure under the law”, and led to the death of thousands of people, including children, to the death of thousands of people.
In a statement, Human Rights Watch (HRW) described Duterte’s arrest as a “critical step for the accountability in the Philippines”.
“His arrest could bring the victims and their families closer to justice and sends the clear message that nobody lies above the law. The Marcos government should quickly hand it over to the ICC, ”said Bryony Lau, deputy director of HRW.
Duterte defended his actions in the middle of reports on his possible arrest and had previously said that he “did everything … for the Filipino”.
“If it is really my fate in life, that’s okay, I will accept it. I can’t do anything about it. When I am arrested when I am detained, it was the case, ”he said.
According to the police records, more than 7,000 people were killed in official anti-drug operations in the course of Duterte’s six-year presidency.
However, human rights representatives have claimed that the murders counted more than 30,000, including those who were killed by unknown suspects, some of whom later turned out to be police officers.
