Philippines' Ex-President Arrested Over Deadly 'Drug War' Crackdown

Photo : Reuters

Former Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte was taken into custody on Tuesday when he arrived at Manila’s airport. The police arrested him because the International Criminal Court (ICC) had sent an order for his arrest. This is a big step in the case about the killings that happened during his time as president. The office of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr confirmed the arrest and said that Interpol Manila got the official warrant from the ICC early in the morning. Duterte is now being held by the authorities.

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A video posted by his daughter, Veronica Duterte, showed him sitting in the holding area at Villamor Air Base. In the video, Duterte was asking why he was arrested. He asked what law he had broken and what crime he had done. He looked upset and said that he was taken there against his will. He also said that those who arrested him would have to answer for taking away his freedom.

Duterte became president in 2016, and his "war on drugs" was one of his biggest promises. He said he would stop drug crimes and often spoke about killing drug dealers. During his time as president, the police said that 6,200 people were killed in drug raids. They claimed these people died in shootouts. But human rights groups say the real number is much higher, between 12,000 and 30,000. Most of those killed were poor people.

The ICC started looking into Duterte’s drug war because there were reports of planned killings. In 2019, Duterte pulled the Philippines out of the ICC’s treaty to stop the investigation. The Philippines refused to work with the ICC, making the case take longer. But groups like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch kept saying that Duterte’s actions were wrong. Many countries also spoke against the killings.

Duterte made many shocking statements during his time in power. While campaigning in 2016, he said he would kill so many drug dealers that funeral businesses would get rich. After he became president, he told people in poor areas to kill drug users themselves. He said he did not care about human rights. He even claimed that when he was mayor of Davao City, he personally killed people suspected of crimes. He once threatened to throw corrupt officials out of helicopters.

One of his most controversial statements was in October 2016 when he compared himself to Adolf Hitler. He said that just as Hitler killed millions of Jews, he wanted to kill millions of drug addicts in the Philippines. Many people around the world were angry at his words, but he did not take them back. He always said he was only protecting his country from crime.

Duterte also said many times that he was not afraid of being jailed. He said he did not care about the ICC and that he would be proud to go to prison for his country. Now that he has been arrested, many questions are being asked about what will happen next. His supporters say he was only trying to make the country safe. But his critics believe this arrest is justice for the many people who lost their lives. The case could take a long time, but his arrest is an important moment in making powerful leaders answer for their actions.