FORMER PHILIPPINES PRESIDENT RODRIGO DUTERTE ARRESTED ON ICC WARRANT

An Emirati Magazine publication – Released on March 11, 2025 | www.emiratimagazine.com

Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has been arrested under an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant over his controversial war on drugs, which resulted in thousands of deaths.

Duterte, who was in Hong Kong before his arrest, had earlier stated that he was prepared for this possibility. His anti-drug campaign, launched after he took office in 2016, was central to his leadership and marked by widespread extrajudicial killings.

The administration of current President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. confirmed that they had not yet received formal communication from Interpol but suggested that Duterte could be handed over if required.

A vocal critic of the ICC, Duterte had previously dismissed the investigation and even withdrew the Philippines from the court’s founding treaty in 2019 to evade scrutiny. However, recent developments indicate the country may now be open to cooperating in certain aspects of the probe.

His arrest is a major step in international justice efforts.