After the ICC’s arrest of former President Duterte (20 March 2025)

We have achieved a win with former President Rodrigo Duterte’s arrest and surrender to the International Criminal Court (ICC) to face trial for his crimes against humanity. His arrest by the Philippine government is a product of the human rights movement, social movements and progressive individuals, who work hard to win justice for the victims of Duterte’s “war on drugs”.

We commend the ICC for the arrest and trial. It comes as the first grind of justice after the Philippine judicial system failed miserably to file charges against the mastermind and main perpetrators of these deadly crimes against the people.

We hope the ICC will also be able to put on trial in The Hague the others involved in these deadly crimes, as recorded by the ICC charge sheet — from Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa to former Philippine National Police chief Oscar Albayalde.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr has ordered the assistance of Philippine police and authorities for the arrest of Duterte, but the Philippine government has yet to clarify its views regarding the charges of crimes against humanity against Duterte and his criminal allies.

We demand that the Marcos Jr government rescind and end all the bloody and murderous policies in pursuance of the war on drugs and dismantle all the tyrannical machinery involved in these heinous crimes. We demand the following:

Disband Oplan Double Barrel, Duterte’s marching order to the police to implement the war on drugs. The killings have not stopped, even under the current administration. Human Rights Watch records 841 drug-related killings since Marcos Jr assumed the presidency in 2022.

Rescind the Anti-Terror Law passed under the Duterte administration in 2020, which legalises unjust arrests and suppression of legitimate dissent.

Dismantle the NTF-Elcac (National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict), created by the Duterte administration in 2018, which is engaged in red-tagging activists, journalists and government critics and identifying them as terrorists.

Compensate the families of the victims of the extrajudicial killings, which number as many as 6200 individuals killed according to government reports and up to 30,000 individuals according to reports by several human rights organisations.

So far, Marcos Jr has only stated his government’s assistance to Duterte’s arrest through Interpol. Marcos Jr has to show that the arrest is not merely a part of the power struggle between two powerful clans in the lead up to the presidential election in 2028, but the start of the people’s pursuit for justice. 

In that case, Marcos Jr should start by dismantling all the bloody and fascistic policies and machinery set up by the Duterte regime.

Statement: ‘Duterte must be put on trial in the ICC’ (12 March 2025)

1. Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte was arrested at NAIA airport on March 11 upon the issuance of a warrant of arrest by the International Criminal Court (ICC). The Philippine National Police (PNP) served the warrant with Interpol representatives.

2. We consider his arrest a vindication and a step towards justice for the tens of thousands who were murdered during the so-called “war on drugs” by the Duterte administration. Duterte ordered the police and his supporters to undertake widespread killings of primarily young people suspected of drug peddling and using drugs.

3. Tokhang [the practice of police visiting the homes of suspected drug traffickers] became a dreadful word under his administration, a sinister mark for those who knock at one’s doors and kill in mayhem the people inside. Duterte’s war on drugs became a showcase of how infants, young girls and old persons were summarily killed during war on drugs operations.

4. Duterte is currently in police custody. We urge the Philippine authorities to immediately process his extradition to the ICC court in The Hague. The ICC relies on the Marcos government to facilitate his transfer.

5. In The Hague, Duterte has to undergo a trial where witnesses, victims and legal experts will present evidence. The prosecution should let the world know the extent of Duterte’s involvement in the killings and the proliferation of drugs in the country. It should set an example of how political dynasties use their positions to rule with violence and impunity.

6. If convicted, Duterte could face life imprisonment. Then he could serve his sentence in the Philippines (as a cooperating country) and not ICC detention centres.

6. The charge against Duterte is a “crime against humanity,” which involves specific crimes in the context of large-scale killings of civilians with impunity and without due process. The crimes are focused on killing innocent youth, older people, bystanders and other civilians caught in the process of the premeditated killings.

7. We all know that Duterte’s crimes were orchestrated and implemented by his government allies. They, too, should be charged by our own courts in the Philippines for the same offense.

8. We urge the Philippine authorities to continue cooperating with the ICC and extradite Duterte forthwith to The Hague. We do not support another deal that will entitle Duterte to favourable treatment if he remains in PNP custody. [Senator Christopher Lawrence] Bong [Tesoro] Go and his supporters’ efforts to put him in hospital immediately are reminiscent of the favourable treatment given to [former president] Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo when she was arrested for electoral sabotage (2011) and for plunder (2012).

9. Duterte’s departure for Hong Kong when news about the ICC arrest warrant circulated was most likely an act to flee the prosecution. However, his departure from Hong Kong might signal that China, although not an ICC member, does not want to be involved as it would aggravate its relations with current president, Bongbong Marcos Jr.

10. In the end, it is President Marcos Jr. who has to decide on the next steps to take to secure justice for the victims of Duterte’s “war crimes”.