Ex-Philippine chief in The Hague after drug struggle arrest

A airplane carrying former Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte has arrived within the Netherlands the place he’s to face prices of crimes towards humanity on the Worldwide Legal Court docket (ICC) over his lethal “struggle on medicine”.

Duterte was arrested at Manila airport on Tuesday and inside hours was on a chartered jet which flew by way of Dubai to The Hague, the place the ICC sits.

The 79-year-old might turn into the primary Asian former head of state to go on trial on the ICC.

Duterte, who contested his extradition, led the Philippines from 2016 to 2022 and presided over a violent “struggle on medicine” that noticed hundreds of small-time drug sellers, customers and others killed with out trial.

The Gulfstream G550 landed in Dubai for a stopover early on Wednesday and its anticipated departure was delayed for a number of hours whereas Duterte obtained medical checks, Reuters information company stories.

As soon as the airplane had landed in Rotterdam, the ICC confirmed that Duterte was in its custody to face prices “of homicide as a criminal offense towards humanity”.

“A listening to might be scheduled in the end for Mr Duterte’s preliminary look earlier than the Court docket.”

Duterte’s predominant political rival, present President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, was instrumental in handing him over. Minutes after Duterte left Philippines airspace, Marcos gave a televised deal with saying the nation was fulfilling its authorized obligation.

“That is what the worldwide group expects of us,” Marcos stated.

The Duterte and Marcos households are the Philippines’ strongest political dynasties. They joined forces to comb the nation’s final nationwide election in 2022, however have fallen out in latest months as they pursued separate agendas.

Duterte being handed to the ICC is the most recent twist in a political feud that has unfolded spectacularly within the public view.

The Duterte and Marcos households shaped a formidable alliance within the 2022 elections. In opposition to the elder Duterte’s needs, his daughter Sara ran as Marcos Jr’s vice-president as a substitute of searching for her father’s submit.

Marcos initially refused to co-operate with the ICC investigation, however as his relationship with the Duterte household deteriorated, he modified his stance.

Vice-President Duterte stated her father’s arrest amounted to “kidnapping”, claiming it violated Philippine sovereignty. She left Manila for the Netherlands on Wednesday, based on her workplace.

Rodrigo Duterte beforehand insisted that the ICC has no jurisdiction over the Philippines, since he pulled the nation out of the tribunal in 2019, three years after it took word of the drug struggle’s rising demise toll.

However based on the Rome Statute that’s the foundation for the ICC, the court docket maintains jurisdiction over alleged crimes dedicated earlier than a nation leaves the tribunal.

The ICC investigation covers 2011-2019, which incorporates the interval when Duterte was mayor of Davao, a sprawling metropolis within the nation’s south, the place his household has held energy for many years.

Complaints filed towards Duterte on the ICC allege that he saved a “demise squad” of bounty hunters to go after drug suspects in Davao, and later replicated this mannequin on a nationwide scale when he was elected president.

Human Rights Watch known as Duterte’s arrest a “crucial step for accountability within the Philippines”.

Duterte constructed a fame for Davao as one of many Philippines’ most secure cities, and cultivated the picture of a tough-talking, anti-establishment man of the plenty to drag off a darkish horse win within the 2016 presidential elections.

Polls present he’s the preferred Philippines president because the restoration of democracy in 1986.

His supporters have threatened to carry giant rallies to protest towards his arrest. That they had requested the Supreme Court docket to difficulty a restraining order towards the ICC warrant – however the court docket didn’t act earlier than the previous president was flown out on Tuesday.

On social media, the place the Dutertes keep a robust following, the response was blended.

Many praised the ICC for delivering justice for individuals who died within the drug struggle, whereas others defended Duterte’s legacy, with some calling for widespread rallies.

“Justice served,” learn a top-liked touch upon TikTok.

“Philippines was secure throughout Duterte’s time,” one other TikTok consumer wrote, saying the previous chief constructed bridges, roads and different infrastructure. “He was the perfect president.”

Extra reporting by Fan Wang