Former Philippines President Arrested on International Criminal Court Warrant over Ruthless War on Drug Dealers

Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte was taken into custody on Tuesday over allegations of crimes against humanity linked to his controversial war on drugs, as reported by The Wall Street Journal.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant accusing Duterte of orchestrating thousands of killings throughout his tenure as the country’s leader and his 22 years as the mayor of Davao City.

Following his arrest, the 79-year-old was transported via flight to The Hague, Netherlands, where the ICC operates.

“This is not justice, this is oppression and persecution,” stated Sara Duterte, the former president’s daughter.

Since Duterte assumed office on June 30, 2016, his aggressive anti-drug campaign resulted in over 12,000 fatalities of individuals suspected of drug-related crimes, according to Human Rights Watch.

The Philippine National Police were reportedly responsible for at least 2,555 of these deaths, with some officers allegedly fabricating evidence to rationalize their actions.

“If I make it to the presidential palace I will do just what I did as mayor. You drug pushers, holdup men, and do-nothings, you better get out because I’ll kill you,” Duterte declared to a crowd exceeding 300,000 on the eve of his electoral victory on May 9, 2016.

Duterte’s campaign against crime predated his presidency, spanning his 22-year rule as Davao’s mayor, beginning in 1988.

The ICC warrant linked Duterte to the “Davao Death Squad,” an organization reportedly comprised of law enforcement personnel and contract killers tasked with eliminating suspected drug dealers.

A police officer cited by the Associated Press claimed that his squad, alongside other law enforcement and civilian groups, executed as many as 10,000 suspects.

Duterte’s unrelenting stance on crime earned him monikers such as “The Punisher” and “Duterte Harry.”

Despite the harsh methods, his leadership transformed Davao from a crime-ridden city into one of the safest in Southeast Asia, as noted by the Encyclopedia Britannica.

Duterte refuted allegations that he directly ordered extrajudicial executions, asserting that his directive to law enforcement was to use deadly force solely in self-defense, according to the Journal.

Despite his polarizing leadership, Duterte left office in 2022 with an approval rating surpassing 70 percent, the Journal reported.

His daughter, Veronica, released a video of Duterte speaking from inside Villamor Air Base, the Philippine Air Force headquarters in Manila, questioning the basis of his detention.

“What is the law and what is the crime that I committed. Show to me now the legal basis for my being here,” Duterte said. “I was brought here not of my own volition. It’s somebody else’s.”