Philippine surrenders ex-president Duterte to ICC for anti-drugs killings trial

The Human Rights Watch called his arrest a “critical step for accountability in the Philippines”.

Former Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte has been extradited to the International Criminal Court (ICC) over his deadly “war on drugs”.

Mr Duterte arrived at The Hague in the Netherlands on Tuesday, where he is to face charges of crimes against humanity.

The former president was arrested at the airport in Manila, the capital city, and within hours was on a chartered jet that flew via Dubai to The Hague, where the ICC sits.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the ICC confirmed his arrest, noting that he had been “surrendered” to its custody and that a hearing would be scheduled “in due course.”

The 79-year-old could become the first former Asian head of state to face trial at the ICC.

When he served as the president of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022, he oversaw a brutal anti-drug campaign that led to the murder of about 30,000 people.

Some of them were small-time drug dealers, while some were also minors and citizens who were falsely accused. They were shot by police officers, hit men or vigilantes.

Human Rights Watch said Mr Duterte’s arrest is a “critical step for accountability in the Philippines”.

ICC investigation

Mr Duterte was first accused at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in 2017, when a Philippine lawyer, Jude Sabio, filed a complaint.

Mr Sabio claimed that the former president operated a death squad in Davao City during his time as mayor and expanded the killings nationwide as president.

In 2018, the ICC formally opened a preliminary examination into the drug war killings. However, in response, Mr Duterte announced the Philippines’ withdrawal from the ICC, which took effect in 2019.

Still, the ICC ruled in 2021 that it retained jurisdiction over crimes committed while the Philippines was still a member. It also formally authorised a full investigation into Mr Duterte’s war on drugs, citing evidence of extrajudicial killings.

The investigation was temporarily suspended in 2022 but resumed in January 2023 after the ICC rejected the Philippine government’s appeal to stop it.

Meanwhile, Mr Duterte’s extradition to the ICC marks a dramatic turn in his ongoing political feud with the current Philippines president, Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

The Duterte and Marcos families, two of the most powerful dynasties in the Philippines, were once strong political allies. They joined forces to win the 2022 national election, but their relationship has fractured as their political ambitions began to differ.

According to multiple reports, Duterte’s handover to the ICC is the latest and most public chapter in their escalating rivalry.

However, President Marcos said the country only upheld its legal obligations.

“This is what the international community expects of us,” he declared in a televised speech.