Former Philippines President arrested at Manila Airport on ICC warrant

MANILA, Philippines

Former Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte was arrested at Manila airport on Tuesday after the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued a warrant for his arrest related to his so-called "war on drugs."

"Early in the morning, Interpol Manila received the official copy of the warrant of arrest from the ICC," President Ferdinand Marcos' office said in a statement.  "As of now, he is under the custody of authorities."

The authorities said the 79-year-old former leader was in good health and had been examined by government doctors.

Duterte was flying back from Hong Kong, where he said he was ready to be arrested.

He faces a charge of "the crime against humanity of murder", according to the ICC.

Duterte's was president of the Southeast Asian nation from 2016 to 2022, saw thousands of people killed. The "war on drugs" was the main campaign promise that helped Duterte become president in 2016. 

According to police, 6,200 suspects were killed during anti-drug operations but activists say the real toll of the crackdown was far greater.

During his time in office, Duterte withdrew the Philippines from the ICC, which had initiated an investigation into the extrajudicial killings.

The formal inquiry launched in September 2021 was suspended two months later due to Manila's re-examination of drug-related deaths, but resumed in July 2023 after a five-judge panel rejected the Philippines' jurisdictional objection.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who succeeded Duterte in 2022 and became embroiled in a bitter political dispute with the former president and his daughter, Sara Duterte, has decided not to rejoin the ICC.

But the Marcos government has said it would cooperate if the ICC asks international police to take Duterte into custody through a so-called Red Notice, a request to law enforcement agencies worldwide to locate and temporarily detain a crime suspect.

Duterte's former legal counsel Salvador Panelo said the arrest was unlawful.

The ICC, based in The Hague, Netherlands, can step in when countries are unwilling or unable to prosecute suspects for the most heinous international crimes, including genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity.