The Philippine government, on Tuesday, announced the arrest of former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte.
Duterte was arrested at Manila’s international airport on an order from the International Criminal Court (ICC) in connection with drug-related killings under his administration’s war on drugs.
Duterte, 79, was taken into custody upon arrival from Hong Kong, following an ICC warrant linked to allegations of crimes against humanity.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s office confirmed the arrest, stating that police acted on an official copy of the warrant received by the Manila office of the International Police.
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“He’s now in the custody of authorities,” the government said, adding that Duterte was in good health and had been examined by government doctors. However, officials did not immediately disclose his location.
The ICC investigation covers drug-related killings from November 1, 2011, when Duterte was mayor of Davao City, to March 16, 2019. In 2019, Duterte withdrew the Philippines from the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the ICC. Human rights activists argue that this move was intended to evade accountability.
Duterte’s administration sought to suspend the ICC probe in 2021, insisting that Philippine authorities were already handling the matter and that the court had no jurisdiction. However, in 2023, ICC appeals judges ruled that the investigation could proceed, rejecting these objections.
Based in The Hague, Netherlands, the ICC intervenes in cases where national authorities are either unwilling or unable to prosecute individuals accused of crimes such as genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity.
Although President Marcos Jr., who succeeded Duterte in 2022, has declined to rejoin the ICC, his administration indicated it would cooperate if the global court requested Duterte’s arrest through a Red Notice—an international request for law enforcement agencies to locate and detain a suspect.
(ABC News)
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