Duterte arrested: the ex-president in the focus of the World Criminal Court!

Duterte arrested: the ex-president in the focus of the World Criminal Court!

The former Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte was arrested on Tuesday at Manila Airport based on an international arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC). According to Kleine Zeitung , which was in office from 2016 to 2022, to have committed crime against humanity. The arrest happened immediately after his arrival from Hong Kong, but was welcomed by the Filipino police. The allegations affect a brutal drug war, according to which between 6,000 and 30,000 people were killed. The indictment assumes that Duterte is personally responsible for murders who are considered crimes against humanity and which took place without legal procedures.

After his arrest, Duterte was brought to a charter plane and expected to be in the Hague around 5 p.m., as Tagesschau . The arrest warrant gives clear reasons why arrest was necessary, in particular to ensure that the ex-president appears in court. Duterte vehemently rejected his allegations and questioned the legality of his arrest in a video. Despite his dismissal, he could continue to have a significant political influence, which illustrates the broken lines between him and the current President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

The upcoming steps

Dutte will be shown to the judge in the next few days, and an examination procedure will follow the indictment. These investigations have been running since 2018, long before the Philippines leaked out of the ICC in 2019. Nevertheless, the Court of Crimes remains responsible, which were committed before leaving. Marcos Jr. has carried out the country's resignation from the ICC, but assures that the local law enforcement authorities are obliged to cooperate if the ICC would like to obtain an arrest warrant. This raises questions about the political dynamics in the country and the possible future developments in the Duterte case.