Former Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has surrendered to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Netherlands on charges of crimes against humanity related to his controversial “war on drugs,” Al Jazeera reported.
Duterte, 79, was arrested in Manila on Tuesday upon his return from Hong Kong. Authorities placed him on a flight to Rotterdam, where he was taken into ICC custody.
ICC Statement & Charges
The ICC confirmed his arrest in a statement on Wednesday, following a warrant issued by Pre-Trial Chamber I for murder as a crime against humanity. He has been detained at a facility on the Dutch coast and is expected to appear before a judge in The Hague in the coming days.
According to the ICC’s arrest warrant, Duterte is accused of creating, funding, and arming death squads responsible for extrajudicial killings of alleged drug users and dealers. He is set to become the first Asian former head of state to face trial in The Hague.
Global Reactions & Protests
Outside the ICC headquarters in The Hague, anti-Duterte protesters celebrated his arrest, holding banners that read:
“We demand justice and accountability, Rodrigo Duterte is a war criminal!”
The ICC first launched its inquiry in 2021 into the mass killings that took place under Duterte’s leadership, both as mayor of Davao City and later as President of the Philippines.
ICC judges reviewing the prosecution’s evidence found “reasonable grounds to believe that Mr. Duterte is individually responsible for the crime against humanity of murder” as an “indirect co-perpetrator” for overseeing the extrajudicial killings.
The Deadly War on Drugs
During Duterte’s six-year presidency, Philippine police reported 6,200 drug suspects killed in anti-drug operations. However, human rights groups claim the actual death toll could be as high as 30,000.
Duterte’s trial at the ICC is expected to be a landmark case in international human rights law and could set a precedent for accountability of world leaders involved in state-sanctioned violence.