"War on drugs"

Philippines: Former President Duterte arrested

Archive image from 2018: Rodrigo Duterte cracked down on drug gangs in his country and liked to present himself as a tough guy in public.(Bild: APA/AP)

Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte was arrested in his home country on Tuesday. He is accused of crimes against humanity in connection with his "war on drugs".

The 79-year-old was arrested by Philippine police after his arrival from Hong Kong at the international airport in the capital Manila because he was the subject of an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court. A video shown on television is said to show the moment of his arrest on an airplane. In it, Duterte can allegedly be heard shouting at the police officers: "You will have to kill me." A second video appears to show him with a walking stick at the airport accompanied by police.

Duterte was in power from 2016 to 2022 and remains controversial to this day, primarily due to his brutal war against drug criminals. He had encouraged criminal investigators to shoot suspects rather than put their own lives in danger. When the International Criminal Court opened an investigation against him in 2018, he announced his country's withdrawal from the ICC.

6200 people died in the "war on drugs"
His successor, the dictator's son Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is now apparently cooperating with the court based in The Hague. The court argues that the crimes Duterte is accused of were committed before the country withdrew from the ICC Statute and that it therefore has jurisdiction. According to police, 6,200 people died in anti-drug raids.