Philippine police arrested former President Rodrigo Duterte in Manila on Tuesday and sent him to the Netherlands by plane to face crimes against humanity from the International Criminal Court, President Ferdinand Marcos said.
Marcos said in a late-night press conference that the global court in The Hague ordered his arrest through Interpol after accusing him of a crime against humanity charged with crimes against him overseen during his tenure. Duterte was arrested Tuesday morning at Manila International Airport when he arrived from Hong Kong with his family.
The 79-year-old former president walked slowly on a cane and briefly turned to a small group of aides and supporters who were accompanying him to cry and bid before helping him join the plane.
His daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte, said she sought to enter an air force base where her father was imprisoned but was denied. She criticized the Marcos administration for surrendering his father to a foreign court that currently has no jurisdiction over the Philippines.
Because the Philippines is a member of Interpol, Duterte's arrest was “appropriate and correct” rather than an act of political persecution, Marcos said.
Among Asia's most feared leaders during his administration, Duterte became the first former leader in the region to be arrested by a global court.
Duterte is wearing a black jacket and an angry Duterte protests his arrest upon arrival in Manila and asks about the legal basis for the detention of the authorities. His lawyer immediately asked the Supreme Court to block any attempt to bring him out of the Philippines.
“Now show me the legal basis for me here,” Duterte asked authorities in a comment captured in the video by his daughter Veronica Duterte, who posted a video on social media. “You must now answer deprivation of liberty.”
The surprise arrest sparked a commotion at the airport, with Duterte's lawyers and aides protesting, who were prevented from approaching him after he was detained by police. “This violates his constitutional rights,” Senator Bong Go, a close ally of Duterte Ally, told reporters.
ICC detects murders while suppressing drugs
The ICC has been investigating Duterte's position as mayor of the southern Philippines mayor of Davao City, and later as president, it has been investigating the crackdown on the murders under Duterte's charge. Estimates of the number of deaths suppressed during Duterte's presidency vary, from more than 30,000 people reported by police across the country by more than 6,000 human rights groups claiming.
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The ICC arrest warrant seen by the Associated Press said: “There are reasonable reasons to believe” that the attacks on the victims are both extensive and systematic: During the attacks for several years, thousands of people appear to have been killed. ”
The March 7 arrest warrant said Duterte's arrest was “to ensure he appeared in court.” “Please note the risks of interference in the investigation and the safety of witnesses and victims, and it is necessary for the Chamber to be content with Mr. Duterte’s arrest.”
In a brief statement after the plane took off, the International Criminal Court confirmed that one of its pre-trial chambers had been charged with “the alleged murder of humans, allegedly suspected of murdering humans, allegedly committed human crimes in the Philippines from 1 November 2011 to 16 March 2016.”
Killed family celebrates arrest
Duterte's arrest and downfall drove the families of the murdered victims to shed tears. Some gathered at street rally to welcome his arrest.
“It's a huge day of justice,” Randy Delos Santos told the Associated Press. In August 2017, his teenage nephew was shot dead by police in a dark riverside alley in a suburban city of Calucan.
“We hope that hundreds of police officers and hundreds of police officers suspected of illegal killing should also be detained and punished,” Delos Santos said.
In 2018, three police officers were convicted of high-profile murder by their nephew, Kian Delos Santos, prompting Duterte to temporarily suspend his crackdown.
This must be a crime that has so far been one of only about three law enforcement officers targeting anti-drug campaigns. Former Senator Antonio Trillanes, who led the International Criminal Court filings a complaint against Duterte, said the arrest was historic, a major blow to state impunity and tyranny.
“It’s like the downfall of the emperor,” Trilanes told the Associated Press. “The next step now is to make sure all followers who commit crimes like him should also consider it.”
The government said the 79-year-old former leader was in good health and was examined by government doctors.
Duterte administration tries to block ICC investigation
The ICC began investigating Duterte's murder under Duterte on November 1, 2011, when he was still the mayor of Davao City until March 16, 2019, which was a possible crime against humanity. Duterte withdraws the Philippines from the founding treaty of Rome Ality in 2019, a move human rights activist says aims to evade accountability.
The Duterte administration suspended global court investigations in late 2021, believing that Philippine authorities are already investigating the same charges, believing that the International Criminal Court (ICC) – the last resort court – therefore has no jurisdiction.
The ICC's appeal judge ruled in 2023 that the investigation could be restored and rejected objections from the Duterte administration. The International Criminal Court can step in the Netherlands when the state is unwilling or unable to prosecute the worst suspects, including genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who succeeded Duterte in 2022, decided not to join the global court. But the Marcos administration has said it would be cooperative if the International Criminal Court requires international police to detain Duterte through the so-called red notice, a request from law enforcement agencies around the world to locate and temporarily arrest suspects.
–Associated Press reporters in the Philippines, Joeal Calupitan and Aaron Favila of the Philippines, Mike Corder and Molly Quell of The Hague, The Netherlands, contributed to the report.
