ICC says arrest of former Philippines President ‘means a lot’ to victims

Manila: The International Criminal Court (ICC) has stated that the arrest of former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte “means a lot” for the victims of his “war on drugs,” according to media reports.

“The fact that the ICC arrest warrant has been carried out is important to victims. It means a lot, I think, to victims,” ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan said on Wednesday.

“Many say that international law is not as strong as we want, and I agree with that. But as I also repeatedly emphasise, international law is not as weak as some may think,” added Khan.

“The Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) welcomes the arrest and transfer of the suspect Rodrigo Duterte, former President of the Philippines, on 11 March 2025 by the authorities of the Philippines. Duterte has been arrested in the context of the Office’s ongoing investigation into the situation in the Philippines,” ICC Office of the Prosecutor issued a statement on Wednesday.

The statement read that on the basis of ICC’s independent and impartial investigations, it is confirmed that Duterte, as founder and head of the Davao Death Squad, then-Mayor of Davao City, and subsequently as the President of the Philippines, is “criminally responsible for the crime against humanity of murder committed in the Philippines between November 1, 2011, and March 16, 2019.”

The prosecutor’s office said that Duterte has committed the crimes as “part of a widespread and systematic attack directed against the civilian population.”

The statement further added that in the warrant of arrest issued on March 7=, it was determined that there are reasonable grounds to believe that Duterte bears “criminal responsibility for the crime against humanity of murder.”

It was also noted that the case against Duterte falls within the jurisdiction of the Court as the alleged crimes occurred during the period when the Philippines was a State Party to the Rome Statute, the ICC’s founding treaty.

Duterte is currently in the custody of the ICC at The Hague, Netherlands. His custody was turned over by his accompanying Philippine law enforcement authorities to officials of the Judicial Cooperation Unit of the ICC Office of Registry.

The Philippine Embassy in the Netherlands said that Duterte was provided with a counsel who has been granted permission to visit the former President on Thursday at the ICC Detention Center in Scheveningen, The Hague, state-run Philippine News Agency reported.

Malacanang, Office of the President of the Philippines, on Wednesday, said that former President Duterte could face a prison sentence of up to 30 years or even life imprisonment if convicted of crimes against humanity by the ICC in connection with his “war on drugs.”

Duterte was arrested under a warrant issued on orders of the ICC at Manila airport on Tuesday morning upon his arrival from Hong Kong. He is facing charges before the ICC for his role in alleged extrajudicial killings committed during his administration’s “war on drugs.”

Human rights groups estimate that more than 30,000 people were killed during the drug war, and many of them were accused without evidence and executed without trial.

IANS