In Lightening Moves, Former President Duterte was Arrested by Interpol and Has Been Sent to the Hague to Face ICC Over 1000s of Extrajudicial Drug War Killings During His Term from 2016 to 2022.
In a series of lightening moves over the past 72 hours that must have been meticulously planned, and which can only have been supported by the current administration under President Marcos Jr, it was first announced that former President Duterte was in Hong Kong and possibly facing ICC arrest on 9 March 2025, when Duterte dismisses this possible arrest.
While in Hong Kong, speaking to migrant Filipino workers, he insisted he had committed no crimes.
Yesterday, 11 March 2024, Duterte returned to Manila from Hong Kong, accompanied by his daughter Sarah Duterte.
Duterte was met by an Interpol official upon arrival in Manila.
He was arrested and brought to Villamor Air Base.
He was processed and almost immediately put on a plane bound for the Hague. Authorities clearly moved him very quickly to limit the ability of his many supporters to rally if he were held in custody in the Philippines.
This morning, Duterte is currently on layover in Dubai, still en-route to the Hague.
The ICC case began in 2018, when the Philippines was still a member of ICC, in response to Duterte’s bloody war on drugs in the Philippines under his watch as president (2016-22) and dating back to 2011, when he served as mayor of Davao city. Thousands of people are reported killed; official numbers are around 6,000 but there are reports of 30,000 by human rights watch groups. Reports of planted evidence and many reported deaths among mistaken identity or wrong place, wrong time (i.e. innocent) victims abounded, as dealers and addicts were targeted.
Further history from Bernar News, Indonesia.
Duterte has asked the Philippines Supreme Court to intervene in his case.
Duterte’s supporters and family are furious, arguing that the ICC has no jurisdiction and that any case against Duterte should be handled locally.
Marcos claims that the arrest is not political. Though how could it not be with the Duterte and Marcos camps clearly at loggerheads?
Duterte is the first head of state to be arrested by the ICC. Why him, why now? From the New York Times.
Information about the ICC from their Website:
The court states it will give a fair trial to defendants.
More on the ICC from Wikipedia. This case will certainly be a very public trial case. A distraction from other global news.
The News Cycle in Philippines is going to be frantic in coming days examining this case and its global implications. Updates will be provided in coming days.
With the documented genocide by the Israeli government of Palestinian people for all the world to see, and with the ICC warrant issued last year, not one of the 125 ICC member states has arrested the Prime Minster. In contrast, FRDD's warrant has not been issued at the time of his arrest yesterday and was shanghaied direct to the Hague.
https://www.manilatimes.net/2025/03/12/opinion/columns/dutertes-icc-kidnapping-with-marcos-help-could-be-the-start-of-bbms-fall/2071142
Yet the Filipino people are rising. Normally my hometown in the southern Philippines has been very silent about government abuses. But yesterday afternoon people gathered together, spontaneously, in the city streets to protest.
https://www.facebook.com/share/r/18hnywEzGV/. The same for many other towns and cities in the Philippines. This evil administration has always underestimated the power of the people. Its day of reckoning is sooner not later.
Who will arrest Netanyahu ?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Criminal_Court_arrest_warrants_for_Israeli_leaders