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Rodrigo Duterte’s arrest could be telling blow in the Philippines’ dynastic feud
Rebecca Ratcliffe
Few expected things to move so quickly. Supporters of the Philippines’ former president Rodrigo Duterte barely had time to protest before he was jetted off to The Hague to face charges of crimes against humanity in relation to his country’s so-called “war on drugs”. According to activists, this bloody crackdown has seen as many as 30,000 people killed since 2016.
The charges brought against the former leader are the culmination of years of work by activists, lawyers and victims, who documented abuses committed under his government, often at great personal risk. But Duterte arguably would not have been surrendered to The Hague if it weren’t for his family’s dramatic feud with that of Ferdinand Marcos Jr, the current president.
The two families were once allies. Marcos Jr ran on a joint ticket with Duterte’s eldest daughter – Sara Duterte, now the vice-president – in the 2022 election, winning a landslide victory. At the time, Marcos Jr, who capitalised on the popularity of the Duterte name, was careful not to criticise Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs, and promised not to cooperate with the international criminal court’s continuing investigation.
It was inevitable that the families’ alliance would collapse, according to Prof Maria Ela L Atienza, of the University of the Philippines. Both sides want their candidate to be elected president in 2028, so, she said: “It’s a fight for the survival of their political families, their dynasties.”
Marcos Jr’s public comments about the ICC shifted as tension grew. His government has continued to maintain that it would not assist the court, of which the Philippines is no longer a member, but explained that it would cooperate with any arrest warrant issued via Interpol.
Rebecca Ratcliffe
Rodrigo Duterte’s ‘war on drugs’ in the Philippines – explained in 30 seconds.
The former president faces an investigation by the international criminal court for crimes against humanity over the alleged extrajudicial killing of thousands of drug suspects.
For a rundown of what led to this point, see our explainer here:
Former Philippine president Duterte set to appear in Hague on 'war on drugs' charges
Former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte is scheduled to make his first appearance before judges of the international criminal court at 1pm GMT, days after his arrest in Manila on murder charges linked to the deadly ‘war on drugs’ he oversaw while in office.
The 79-year-old Duterte, the first Asian former leader arrested on an ICC warrant, will be read his rights and formally informed of the charges of crimes against humanity that the court’s prosecutors filed against him after a lengthy investigation, AP reported.
Soon after his election in 2016, Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte launched his so-called “war on drugs”, a bloody campaign in which as many as 30,000 civilians were killed.
Most of the victims were men from poor, urban areas, who were gunned down in the streets or their homes by police, or in some cases, unidentified assailants.
The authorities routinely claimed police had killed in self-defence. However, groups documenting the killings have challenged this claim, alleging the police regularly falsified evidence, including by planting drugs and guns at the scene.
Witnesses frequently stated that victims were unarmed and did not pose a threat. The type of wounds sustained by victims also contradicted police claims: many were shot multiple times, and in some cases in their backs or the back of their heads.
Today, the court will also seek to set a date for a key pre-trial hearing – likely months from now – at which judges will assess whether there is enough evidence to proceed to a full trial, which could take years. If Duterte is convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
Duterte was arrested Tuesday amid chaotic scenes in the Philippine capital after returning from a visit to Hong Kong. He threatened a police general with lawsuits, refused to be fingerprinted and told law enforcers “you have to kill me to bring me to The Hague,” according to police Maj. Gen. Nicolas Torre.
The standoff occurred at a Philippine airbase before he and other police officers managed to bring the former leader on to a government-chartered jet that took him to the Netherlands. Torre described the confrontation as “very tense” and said Duterte refused to be fingerprinted.
Duterte’s legal team challenges his arrest and said that Philippine authorities didn’t show any copy of the ICC warrant and violated his constitutional rights. He will not be required to formally enter a plea at Friday’s hearing.
