Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte was transported to The Hague on March 12, where he will face the International Criminal Court (ICC) on charges of crimes against humanity related to his brutal “war on drugs.”
The day before, Duterte was arrested at Manila Airport under a warrant issued five days earlier. In The Hague, he will be held in a detention facility near the ICC building.
Despite the Philippines’ withdrawal from the ICC in 2019 under Duterte’s decision, the court retained jurisdiction over crimes committed while the country was a member.
Amnesty International welcomed the former president’s arrest, calling it a “long-awaited step toward justice” for the thousands of victims of the anti-drug campaign that led to mass deaths in the Philippines.
According to the ICC, between November 2011 and March 2019, Philippine authorities were responsible for the deaths of between 12,000 and 30,000 people linked to drug use or trade. Many of these killings are believed to have been extrajudicial executions carried out during police operations.
