Duterte, ex-Philippines leader, arrested on ICC warrant
Police in the Philippines have arrested former president Rodrigo Duterte following a warrant by the International Criminal Court (ICC). The warrant accused him of crimes against humanity following his deadly “war on drugs.”
Shortly after arriving at Manila airport from Hong Kong, the Duterte was taken into police custody. The 79-year-old offered no apology for his hardline crackdown which resulted in thousands of people killed while he was president between 2016 and 2022. “What crime [have] I committed,” he asked upon his arrest.
His former presidential spokesperson, Salvador Panelo, cirticised the arrest, labelling it unlawful because the Philippines withdrew from the ICC in 2019. The court however said that it has jurisdiction in the country over the alleged crimes before the country withdrew its membership.
Activists said it was a “historic moment” for those who died due to his policies. “The arc of the moral universe is long, but today, it has bent towards justice. Duterte’s arrest is the beginning of accountability for the mass killings that defined his brutal rule,” said ICHRP chairman Peter Murphy.
The former president was in Hong Kong campaigning for the upcoming 12 May mid-term elections. He had hoped to run again for mayor of Davao, a position he had previously held. Footage on local TV showed him leaving the airport with a cane. However, authorities say he is in “good health,” and is being cared for by government doctors.
“What is my sin? I did everything in my time for peace and a peaceful life for the Filipino people,” he told a crowd of Filipino ex-pats before he left Hong Kong.
A video posted by his daughter showed him in custody in a lounge at Manilla’s Villamor Air Base where he can be heard questioning the reason for his arrest. “What is the law and what is the crime that I committed? I was brought here not of my own volition, it is somebody else’s. You have to answer now for the deprivation of liberty.”
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