Philippines ex-leader detained amid ICC arrest warrant for war crimes
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Former President Rodrigo Duterte's "war on drugs" has allegedly resulted in the deaths of thousands of civilians, leading to his arrest on March 11, 2025.
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Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte demonstrates how a drug addict sniffs drugs during a press conference in Beijing, China, on Wednesday, October 19, 2016. (AP)
Former Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has been arrested following an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant over his deadly "war on drugs."
Duterte, who turns 80 this month, is accused of crimes against humanity linked to anti-drug crackdowns that left up to 30,000 dead, mostly poor urban men. According to the presidential office, he was detained Tuesday morning at Manila airport after returning from Hong Kong.
A video from broadcaster GMA showed Duterte resisting arrest on the plane, saying, "You will just have to kill me." Despite speculation about the warrant, Duterte recently stated he would accept his fate.
Elected in 2016, he vowed a brutal anti-drug campaign, once claiming bodies would pile up in Manila Bay. Since then, an estimated 12,000 to 30,000 civilians were killed in anti-drug operations, according to ICC data.
Police often justified the killings as self-defense, but rights groups accused them of planting evidence and manipulating postmortem reports.
A shift among the current leadership
Despite international outrage, Duterte remained popular throughout his presidency. His daughter, Sara Duterte, is now vice president, although the House of Representatives voted to impeach her following accusations of corruption, misuse of public funds, and threatening to assassinate the president of the Philippines.
At a 2024 Senate inquiry, Duterte defended his actions, insisting he acted for the country’s good. He admitted ordering police to provoke resistance from suspects but denied sanctioning executions and claimed to have led a "death squad" as Davao mayor.
His former legal counsel, Salvador Panelo, called Duterte’s arrest unlawful, alleging police blocked his lawyer at the airport.
The ICC’s probe covers killings from 2011 to 2019, including extrajudicial deaths in Davao and nationwide during Duterte’s presidency. Human rights groups hailed his arrest as a crucial step toward justice.
President Marcos, initially opposed to ICC involvement, has since shifted stance amid growing tensions with the Duterte camp ahead of midterm elections. His administration now says it will cooperate if international police intervene.
