Ex-Philippine President Duterte arrested for crimes against humanity

Former Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte was arrested Tuesday, March 11, in Manila on an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant related to his deadly war on drugs. 

The 79-year-old faces charges of “the crime against humanity of murder,” with rights groups estimating that his brutal crackdown led to the deaths of tens of thousands, primarily poor men, many of whom had no proven ties to illegal drugs.

The Philippine presidential palace confirmed the arrest, stating that Interpol Manila received the official copy of the ICC warrant early in the morning. Authorities have since taken Duterte into custody, with officials assuring that he and his entourage were in good health and undergoing medical checks.

In a video posted on Instagram by his youngest daughter, Veronica, Duterte demanded to know the legal basis for his arrest. “So what is the law and what is the crime that I committed? Show to me now the legal basis of my being here,” he said. “I was brought here not of my own volition but somebody else’s … you have to answer now for the deprivation of liberty.”

While officials did not immediately confirm his location, a photo released by his political party indicated that he was being held at Villamor Air Base near Manila’s airport. Duterte’s former chief legal counsel, Salvador Panelo, called the arrest “unlawful,” alleging that police denied one of Duterte’s lawyers access at the airport and failed to present a hard copy of the ICC warrant.

Supporters of Duterte gathered outside Villamor Air Base, voicing their opposition to the arrest, but human rights groups welcomed the development. Rubilyn Litao, coordinator for the advocacy group Rise Up for Life and for Rights, said families of drug war victims had long awaited justice. “The mothers whose husbands and children were killed because of the drug war are very happy because they have been waiting for this for a very long time,” she told AFP.

Human Rights Watch and the Philippine rights alliance Karapatan called on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to ensure Duterte is handed over to the ICC for trial. “Now that Duterte has been arrested, Marcos Jr. should make sure that he is actually delivered to the ICC for detention and trial,” Karapatan said, calling the move “long overdue.” Human Rights Watch also urged the government to act swiftly, saying his arrest marked a “critical step for accountability in the Philippines.”

Duterte’s arrest followed a brief trip to Hong Kong, where he had addressed thousands of overseas Filipino workers on Sunday. During his speech, he dismissed the ICC investigation, referring to the tribunal’s investigators as “sons of whores” but admitting he would “accept it” if he were arrested.

The Philippines withdrew from the ICC in 2019 under Duterte’s orders, but the court maintains jurisdiction over crimes committed before the withdrawal, including killings in Davao City during Duterte’s tenure as mayor. The ICC formally launched an investigation in September 2021 but temporarily suspended it after Manila claimed it was reviewing hundreds of cases linked to drug war killings. The inquiry resumed in July 2023 after ICC judges ruled against the Philippines’ objections.

Since then, the Marcos administration has repeatedly refused to cooperate with the ICC probe. However, on Sunday, Undersecretary of the Presidential Communications Office Claire Castro stated that if Interpol formally requested assistance, the Philippine government was “obliged to follow.”

Despite his legal troubles, Duterte remains a powerful political figure and is currently running for mayor of Davao City in the May mid-term elections. His war on drugs was popular among many Filipinos who saw it as a swift solution to crime, though critics condemned it as a systematic assault on human rights.

During a Philippine Senate probe into the drug war in October, Duterte remained defiant, insisting he had no regrets. “I did what I had to do, and whether or not you believe it or not, I did it for my country,” he said. “I offer no apologies, no excuses.”

With Duterte’s arrest, the Philippines faces a defining moment, one that could determine whether it upholds its commitment to human rights and international justice or shields a former leader from accountability.