According to Philippine government officials, former President Rodrigo Duterte was arrested on Tuesday at Manila Airport on a warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC). The warrant was issued following an investigation into allegations of crimes against humanity during his presidency, particularly concerning his controversial “war on drugs.” The International Criminal Court took custody of former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday on a warrant accusing him of crimes against humanity for deadly anti-drugs crackdowns he oversaw while in office.
In an official statement, the presidential office confirmed, “Early in the morning, Interpol Manila received the official copy of the arrest warrant from the ICC. He is currently under the custody of authorities.” The statement further added that “the former president and his group are in good health and being checked by government doctors.”
Duterte was returning from Hong Kong when law enforcement officers took him into custody at Manila Airport. The ICC charged him with crimes against humanity, following reports by human rights organizations that estimated tens of thousands of underprivileged men were killed by law enforcement and vigilante groups during the war on drugs campaign.
The Case Against Duterte
The ICC launched its investigation into drug-related killings during Duterte’s tenure, starting from November 1, 2011, when he was mayor of Davao, up to March 16, 2019. The probe aimed to examine potential crimes against humanity. In 2019, Duterte formally withdrew the Philippines from the Rome Statute, a move that rights activists interpreted as an attempt to evade accountability for the killings.
Before assuming the presidency in 2016, Duterte served as the mayor of Davao for 22 years. He built a reputation for making the city one of the country’s safest from street crimes. He leveraged this reputation to position himself as a tough-talking, anti-establishment politician ahead of the 2016 elections.
Although current President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who succeeded Duterte in 2022, chose not to rejoin the ICC, his administration stated that it would cooperate if the ICC requested international police support via a Red Notice. This cooperation would enable law enforcement agencies worldwide to track and temporarily detain suspects.
The Political Angle
Duterte’s arrest comes amid a sharp deterioration in his relationship with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Marcos initially rose to power through a political alliance with Duterte’s daughter, Sara Duterte, who was elected Vice President. However, a political rift developed between Marcos and Sara, particularly over differing views on the Philippines’ relations with the US and China.
While the Philippines officially decided against rejoining the ICC, the Marcos government quietly permitted the court’s investigators to enter the country in 2023. Additionally, the country’s House of Representatives initiated an inquiry into Duterte’s drug war last year, further intensifying scrutiny of his administration.
Allegations Against Duterte
During his final campaign rally in 2016, Duterte told the crowd to “forget the laws on human rights,” warning drug pushers and criminals, “You better go out… Because I’ll kill you.”
Throughout his six-year presidency, which ended in 2022, more than 6,000 suspects were killed by police or unknown assailants as part of his anti-drug campaign. A United Nations report later revealed that most of the victims were young, poor urban males. According to a BBC report, the police—who conducted house raids without search or arrest warrants—systematically forced suspects to make self-incriminating statements or face lethal force.
Duterte has consistently denied all accusations. While the ICC first noted alleged abuses in 2016, it formally launched its investigation in 2021, covering cases from November 2011, when Duterte was Davao’s mayor, to March 2019.
The Role of the ICC
The ICC is situated in The Hague, Netherlands. The institution has 125 countries as its members. It has international jurisdiction over four types of crimes: crimes against humanity, genocide, crimes of aggression, and war crimes. It intervenes when nations are unable or unwilling to prosecute individuals suspected of severe international offences.
Previously, the ICC has issued arrest warrants against Russian President Vladimir Putin for his actions in Ukraine and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. However, these leaders have not been arrested, which shows the limitations of the ICC’s jurisdiction over powerful nations. This disparity highlights the exact nature of the International politics, where leaders from smaller and medium-sized countries are more susceptible to prosecution. However, global superpowers remain largely beyond the ICC’s reach. This further indicates the exact nature of international politics, in which big fish rule the oceans.
