Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte was arrested Tuesday on an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant accusing him of “crimes against humanity” for a brutal anti-drug campaign in which thousands were killed. Duterte, 79, was taken into custody at Manila airport on his return from a trip to Hong Kong, CNN reported. He questioned the legality of the ICC warrant, saying in a video posted by his daughter: “What is the law and what is the crime that I committed?” Known as “Asia’s Trump” for his bombastic style, Duterte earned global notoriety for a drug crackdown in which at least 6,000 people were killed, and perhaps many more. A statement from Interpol’s Manila office said it received the ICC’s arrest warrant on Tuesday morning. While Duterte has denied extrajudicial killings while in office from 2016 to 2022, he admitted ordering police to shoot resisting suspects. Human Rights Watch’s Bryony Lau called his detention “a critical step for accountability.” Despite Duterte withdrawing the Philippines from the ICC, the court maintains jurisdiction over crimes committed during the membership period. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.‘s administration indicated its willingness to cooperate with the ICC. Duterte’s former spokesperson labeled the arrest “unlawful detention.”
The Beast used specially trained AI to summarize the original source material cited in this article. It was selected, edited, and fact-checked by Daily Beast staff in compliance with our Code of Ethics.
Read it at CNN
