Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte was arrested in Manila on Tuesday. The International Criminal Court was arrested after issuing a warrant accusing him of his drug war in the drug group that tens of thousands of Filipinos were immediately executed.
According to the Philippine government, he was detained at the Manila airport after returning from a trip to Hong Kong. Duterte's lawyer, Salvador Panerro, said the arrest was illegal. He said this was because the Philippines withdrew from the courts while Duterte was in office.
Duterte, 79, who took office in 2022, is a populist firefighter who remains one of the Philippines' most influential politicians and enjoys relative immunity despite several accusations against him in connection with his anti-parenting campaign.
But Duterte's arrest could be a major step towards accountability for thousands of Filipinos who have long sought justice for police officers, attacks and loved ones shot by vigilantes. Activists say the majority of the victims were poor and Filipinos in the city, some of whom were minors and had nothing to do with the drug trade.
Only a handful of people have been convicted in connection with the murder, and the rights group said in total was around 30,000.
“We are extremely pleased that Duterte was arrested so that he could ultimately have justice,” said Christina Jumora, whose three sons were killed during the drug war. “We've been waiting for this very long.”
It was unclear whether Duterte would be forced to surrender to the Hague-based ICC. The lawsuit will become a well-known court test that has sought the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Min Aung Freen's military prime minister in recent months, denounced both crimes against humanity.
Minutes before he was arrested, Duterte was characteristically rebellious.
According to a video posted by Philippine broadcaster GMA News, Duterte would have to kill me first if he were to form an alliance with white foreigners,” Duterte said.
For years, Duterte seemed out of control. As mayor of Davao, the Philippines' second largest city, for over 20 years, he has run a deadly gas scrutiny with immunity. In 2016, he led his laws and orders to victory in the presidential election, although experts said the country doesn't have any major drug issues.
At the rally that year's final campaign, Duterte told the crowd “we'll forget about human rights laws.”
“You're a drug pusher, a hold-up guy, and don't, you're better off going out,” he said. “Because I'll kill you,” he said he would give himself and his security forces immunity from charges and forgive himself “for multiple murder crimes.”
During his tenure, Duterte withdrawed the Philippines from the ICC.
Duterte's lawyer, Panero, said the arrest was illegal as Philippine police had not allowed the former president's lawyer to meet him at the airport. He said he plans to file criminal charges against police and officials who ordered arrests.
He added that arrests are illegal because the warrants “came from the ICC, a false source of information that has no jurisdiction over the Philippines.”
However, the Philippines is still a member of Interpol and can seek the arrest of Mr Duterte on behalf of the ICC. When Duterte was arrested, there was a representative of Interpol.
When Duterte's single, six-year term ended in 2022, his administration said 6,252 people had been killed by security forces.
Duterte appeared to enjoy immunity even his successor, Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. Early in his administration, Marcos showed that he would not cooperate with the ICC.
But the ties between Marcos and Duterte were unraveled in a swift and grand way. By the second half of 2023, Marcos' government had quietly allowed ICC investigators to enter the Philippines.
Last year, the Philippine House of Representatives began an investigation into Duterte's drug war. The former president refused to testify in the House but appeared in October at a Senate hearing, which has gained considerable support.
“I and I are fully responsible for all of its successes and flaws,” he said of the gas campaign. “I'm responsible because all police have gone according to my orders. I should be the one who has been imprisoned, not the policeman who has followed my orders. It's pathetic and they're just doing their job.”
Marlise Simons contributed a report from Paris.
