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The International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague apprehended Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday, who now confronts serious charges connected to his relentless “war on drugs.”
The combative ex-leader, who ruled the Philippines with an iron fist from 2016 to 2022, declared his willingness to bear the full weight of accountability for a campaign that human rights advocates assert claimed tens of thousands of lives in a brutal purge of suspected drug offenders.
The ICC, wielding its authority from its Dutch seat of justice, has marshaled evidence it deems compelling enough to accuse Duterte of murder as a crime against humanity. Prosecutors paint him as an “indirect co-perpetrator” in a chillingly orchestrated offensive that turned Philippine streets into battlegrounds.
“I am the one who led our law enforcement and military. I said that I will protect you and I will be responsible for all of this,” Duterte said in a video posted to his and a close advisor’s Facebook pages.
“I have been telling the police, the military, that it was my job and I am responsible,” said the 79-year-old, the first Asian former head of state to appear before the ICC.
A spokesperson has confirmed that former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is now in the custody of the International Criminal Court (ICC), having touched down in Rotterdam aboard a private jet.
From there, a vehicle believed to be transporting the embattled ex-leader carved a path through a throng of dozens of fervent supporters outside the ICC detention centre in The Hague. Chants of “Bring him back” pierced the air as loyalists waved Philippine flags, their defiance clashing with the solemnity of the moment.
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Among the crowd was Duds Quibin, a 50-year-old caregiver, who vented his outrage to AFP. “There has been no due process,” he insisted, his voice thick with indignation. “This is kidnapping. They just bundled him onto a plane and whisked him here.” His words captured the raw frustration of those who see Duterte’s transfer as an affront to sovereignty rather than a step toward justice.
Nestled near the windswept North Sea coast, the detention facility offers no hint of its high-profile occupant’s past as a national titan. Inside, Duterte will occupy a private cell, furnished with a computer to aid his legal preparations and access to an outdoor exercise space—a stark contrast to the chaotic battlegrounds of his drug war.
He will remain there, under the ICC’s watchful eye, until his first court appearance, expected within days, as the world braces for a legal showdown that promises to be as electrifying as the man himself.
