“Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte Arrested on ICC Warrant for Crimes Against Humanity”

On March 11, 2025, Rodrigo Duterte, the former president of the Philippines, was arrested at the international airport in Manila after returning from Hong Kong. The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued the warrant for the arrest, accusing him of crimes against humanity for his aggressive “war on drugs” campaign during his 2016–2022 presidency. Thousands of people died as a result of this campaign; estimates range from over 6,000 according to police statistics to possibly over 30,000 according to human rights organizations.

Upon his arrival, the prosecutor general served the ICC notification for an arrest warrant to the former president for the crime of crime against humanity,” the government said. “He’s now in the custody of authorities.”

The surprise arrest sparked a commotion at the airport when lawyers and Duterte aides loudly protested that they, along with a doctor and lawyers, were prevented from coming close to him after he was taken into police custody. “This is a violation of his constitutional right,” Sen. Bong Go, a close Duterte ally, told reporters.

Duterte’s former lawyer and spokesperson, Salvador Panelo, asserted in a statement that the warrant came from “a spurious source,” since the ICC has no jurisdiction in the Philippines, the Reuters news agency reported. The ICC says it has jurisdiction there over alleged crimes committed before the country withdrew as a member.