Responding to news that former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has been arrested by Philippine authorities on the basis of an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against him for the crime against humanity of murder in relation to killings in the \u201cwar on drugs\u201d, Agnes Callamard, Secretary General of Amnesty International, said:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cRodrigo Duterte\u2019s arrest is a long-awaited and monumental step for justice for the thousands of victims and survivors of his administration\u2019s \u2018war on drugs\u2019, which turned much of the Philippines into a nation of mourning. The man who said, \u2018my job is to kill\u2019 oversaw the shootings to death of victims \u2013 including children \u2013 as part of a deliberate, widespread and well-organized campaign of state-sanctioned killings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDuterte\u2019s arrest on an ICC warrant is a hopeful sign for victims in the Philippines and beyond. It shows that suspected perpetrators of the worst crimes, including government leaders, can and will face justice, wherever they are in the world. At a time when too many governments renege on their ICC obligations while others attack or sanction international courts, Duterte\u2019s arrest is a huge moment for the power of international law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe Philippines government has taken a resolute step, and should be commended for it, but accountability must not stop here. The ICC investigation covers only some of the crimes committed over the past decade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFormer President Duterte was at the centre of a grave human rights crisis in the country, but he is not the only one suspected of criminal responsibility, nor have violations stopped since he left office. It is incumbent on the present government that investigations and prosecutions do not end with his arrest and extend to domestic-level accountability for all those responsible for human rights violations in the \u2018war on drugs\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe Philippine authorities must now surrender Duterte to the ICC in The Hague to face trial for the alleged crimes against humanity. Pending this transfer, he must be strictly afforded all fair trial guarantees and other legal rights while detained by the authorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe call on the Philippine government to rejoin the Rome Statute and cooperate fully with the ICC\u2019s investigation, including if further arrest warrants are issued against other former and current Philippine government officials.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On 11 March, upon his return to Manila from Hong Kong, former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte was arrested by police on the basis of an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court against him for crimes against humanity in relation to the \u201cwar on drugs\u201d. The ICC has yet to confirm that an arrest warrant has been issued against Duterte, although Philippine media has shared photos of the arrest warrant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The ICC has been carrying out investigations into possible crimes against humanity including murders committed in the context of the deadly \u201cwar on drugs\u201d under the administration of President Duterte and also those in Davao City by the alleged Davao Death Squad while he was Mayor of Davao from 2011 to 2016.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Philippines had been a member of the ICC since 1 November 2011, but in 2018 gave a notice of withdrawal that took effect on 17 March 2019. Nevertheless, the ICC retained jurisdiction with respect to alleged crimes that occurred in the Philippines while it was a state party, from November 2011 to March 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
During the Duterte administration from 2016 to 2022, thousands of people, mostly from poor and marginalized communities, were unlawfully killed by the police \u2013 or by armed individuals suspected to have links to the police \u2013 during the government\u2019s so-called \u201cwar on drugs\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n