Former President of the Philippines Duterte arrested at Manila airport on ICC case

Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte was arrested at Manila International Airport on Tuesday by order of the International Criminal Court in connection with a case of crimes against humanity filed against him, the Philippine government reported, according to UNN.

Details

"Former President Rodrigo Duterte is currently in police custody after arriving in Manila on Tuesday following an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC)," the statement said.

The statement from the Office of the President's Communications said that the arrest warrant was received by the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) in Manila from the ICC on Tuesday morning.

Duterte arrived in the Philippines on Cathay Pacific flight CX 907 from Hong Kong at 9:20 AM local time.

"Upon arrival, the Attorney General presented the official notification from the ICC confirming the arrest warrant for Duterte," according to the statement from the Office of the President's Communications.

"Duterte is accused of crimes against humanity before the ICC for his bloody war on drugs," the statement said.

The unexpected arrest, according to AP, caused a stir at the airport, where Duterte's lawyers and aides loudly protested that they, as well as a doctor and lawyers, were not allowed to approach him after he was taken into police custody. "This is a violation of his constitutional rights," said Senator Bong Go, a close ally of Duterte, to reporters.

The arrest warrant sent by the International Criminal Court to Philippine officials, a copy of which was seen by the AP agency, states that "there are reasonable grounds to believe that" the attack on victims "was both widespread and systematic: the attack occurred over several years, and apparently thousands of people were killed."

Duterte’s arrest was necessary "to ensure his appearance before the court," according to the March 7 warrant, adding that the former president was expected to ignore a court summons.

It stated that, although Duterte is no longer president, he "apparently continues to wield significant power."

"Given the resulting risk of interference with investigations and the safety of witnesses and victims, the chamber is convinced that Mr. Duterte's arrest is necessary," the statement said.

Recall

On October 2, 2021, then-President of the Philippines Rodrigo Duterte announced that he was stepping away from politics.