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- Duterte could become Asia鈥檚 first former head of state to go on trial at the ICC
- A copy of the warrant said Duterte is accused of criminal responsibility for the murder of at least 43 people between 2011 and 2019
MANILA: Former Philippines leader Rodrigo Duterte left Manila on a jet on Tuesday bound for The Hague, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said, hours after he was arrested at the request of the International Criminal Court over a 鈥渨ar on drugs鈥� that defined his presidency.
Duterte, a firebrand ex-mayor and former prosecutor who led the Philippines from 2016 to 2022, was arrested at a Manila airport early on Tuesday, in a major step in the ICC鈥檚 investigation into thousands of killings in an anti-drugs crackdown that caused shock and condemnation around the world.
鈥淚 am confident the arrest was proper, correct and followed all necessary legal procedures,鈥� Marcos told a press conference confirming Duterte had left the country bound for the Netherlands.
鈥淲e did not help the International Criminal Court in any way. The arrest was made in compliance with Interpol.鈥�
The 鈥渨ar on drugs鈥� was Duterte鈥檚 signature campaign platform that swept the mercurial crime-buster to power and he soon delivered on promises he made during vitriolic speeches to kill thousands of drug pushers and users.
Duterte has long insisted he instructed police to kill only in self-defense and has always defended the crackdown, repeatedly telling his supporters he was ready to 鈥渞ot in jail鈥� if it meant ridding the Philippines of drugs.
Veronica Duterte, the 79-year-old鈥檚 youngest daughter, said on Instagram her father had boarded the jet but the family had not been informed of its destination.
鈥淭he airplane used to kidnap my dad just left minutes ago,鈥� she posted.
Duterte could become Asia鈥檚 first former head of state to go on trial at the ICC.
Rights groups
His arrest follows years of him rebuking and taunting the ICC since he unilaterally withdrew the Philippines from the court鈥檚 founding treaty in 2019 as it started looking into allegations of systematic murders of drug dealers on his watch.
The ICC, a court of last resort, is probing alleged crimes against humanity and says it has jurisdiction to investigate alleged crimes that took place while a country was a member.
Duterte and his family and allies expressed fury at the arrest, calling it unlawful.
A lawyer petitioned the Supreme Court on Duterte鈥檚 behalf on Tuesday seeking a temporary restraining order to prevent authorities from complying with the ICC鈥檚 request.
A copy of the warrant, seen by Reuters, said Duterte is accused of criminal responsibility for the murder of at least 43 people between 2011 and 2019, which would include time when he served as mayor of southern Davao City.
Human rights groups and families of victims said his detention was a key step toward accountability for the killings of thousands of people in the Philippines, where police investigations have moved at a snail鈥檚 pace. Duterte has not been charged with any crimes locally.
According to police, 6,200 suspects were killed during anti-drug operations under Duterte鈥檚 presidency that they say ended in shootouts. But activists say the real toll of the crackdown was far greater, with many thousands more slumland drug users, some named on community 鈥渨atch lists,鈥� killed in mysterious circumstances.
The prosecutor of the ICC has said as many as 30,000 people may have been killed by police or unidentified individuals.
Police have rejected allegations from rights groups of systematic murders, staged crime scenes and fabricated incident reports.