Police Arrest Philippines Former President, Duterte Over Harsh Drug War
Philippine police have arrested former President Rodrigo Duterte after the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued a warrant accusing him of crimes against humanity over what it termed as his deadly “war on drugs”.
The 79-year-old former president was taken into police custody shortly after his arrival at Manila airport from Hong Kong.
He has offered no apologies for his brutal anti-drugs crackdown, which saw thousands of people killed when he was president of the South East Asian nation from 2016 to 2022, and mayor of Davao city.
Menawhile, Duterte’s former presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo criticised the arrest, calling it “unlawful” as the Philippines withdrew from the ICC in 2019.The ICC earlier said that it has jurisdiction in the Philippines over alleged crimes committed before the country withdrew as a member.
The International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines, ICHRP has described the arrest a “historic moment” for those who perished in his drug war and their families.
Credit: BBC
