Rodrigo Duterte, the former president of the Philippines, was arrested in Manila under an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant related to alleged crimes against humanity during his administration’s anti-drug campaign. The 79-year-old was taken into custody shortly after arriving from Hong Kong and is now being transported to The Hague, according to Philippine authorities.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. confirmed the arrest in a late-night press briefing, stating that the Philippines complied with an Interpol request. The ICC had previously issued a warrant citing allegations of extrajudicial killings that took place between 2011 and 2019, during Duterte’s tenure as both president and mayor of Davao City.
Video footage showed Duterte using a cane while being escorted by officials at Ninoy Aquino International Airport. His daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte, condemned the arrest, calling it a violation of Philippine sovereignty. Meanwhile, Duterte’s former legal counsel argued that the ICC lacks jurisdiction over the country, as the Philippines formally withdrew from the court in 2019.
The ICC, which investigates cases of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity, maintains that it retains jurisdiction over alleged crimes committed before the Philippines’ withdrawal. The court has issued similar warrants against world leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but relies on member states to enforce them.
Duterte’s anti-drug campaign led to thousands of deaths, with estimates varying between 6,000 and 30,000. Human rights organizations, along with the United Nations, have condemned the crackdown, citing widespread reports of extrajudicial killings. The case against him was filed at the ICC in 2018, with the investigation moving forward despite Duterte’s refusal to cooperate.
The arrest has further strained the political relationship between the Marcos and Duterte families, which began as allies but have since fallen out. In November, Sara Duterte claimed she had hired someone to kill Marcos Jr. in the event of her own assassination. She was later impeached in February over those remarks and corruption allegations.
Marcos Jr. stated that he believes the arrest was “proper and correct,” signaling the administration’s willingness to comply with international legal obligations despite the political turmoil surrounding the case.
