MANILA — Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte was arrested on Tuesday (March 11) at Manila’s main airport after authorities served an Interpol arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC), the government confirmed. The ICC is investigating allegations of crimes against humanity tied to Duterte’s leadership of the "war on drugs," which left thousands of Filipinos dead. While in Hong Kong on Monday, Duterte expressed readiness to face arrest if a warrant was issued, continuing to defend his anti-drug campaign. He has denied ordering police to kill suspects unless in self-defense.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s office confirmed receiving the ICC warrant and stated that police took Duterte into custody. However, Salvador Panelo, Duterte’s former legal adviser, criticized the arrest as unlawful and claimed police barred one of Duterte’s lawyers from meeting him at the airport. In 2019, Duterte unilaterally withdrew the Philippines from the ICC’s founding treaty after the court began probing reports of extrajudicial killings. Until last year, the government refused to cooperate with the ICC’s investigation.

Duterte’s "war on drugs" was a cornerstone of his administration and a major factor in his rise to power in 2016. As a tough-talking former mayor, he vowed to eliminate narcotics and crime, often in fiery speeches promising to kill drug dealers. Police report that 6,200 suspects died in anti-drug operations, claiming they were killed in shootouts. However, human rights advocates assert the real death toll is much higher, alleging that thousands of marginalized drug users, many listed on official “watch lists,” were killed in suspicious circumstances. Authorities have denied any involvement in the unexplained killings, rejecting accusations from rights groups of systematic executions and cover-ups during Duterte’s anti-drug campaign.

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