By Mariele Salotti
After years of impunity, former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is now facing justice for the grave international crimes committed under his controversial and violent “war on drugs,” which led to thousands of extrajudicial killings and widespread human rights violations.
Rodrigo Roa Duterte was the President of the Philippines just over three years ago, and now he is on trial for crimes against humanity. On March 11, Duterte (now 79 years old), was returning from his short trip to Hong Kong – where he had been rallying support for his candidates among the large Filipino diaspora – and found himself arrested at the Manila airport. The office of the current president, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., announced that Duterte was arrested on an ICC warrant, with the cooperation of Philippine authorities.
Why did this happen? Is the former president really guilty, and what are the international implications? What are the grounds for the accusation by the ICC?
Let’s take a step back and look at the bigger picture: Rodrigo Duterte, considered an authoritarian populist with humble origins, served as president of the Philippines from June 30, 2016, to June 30, 2022. He is sometimes referred to as “the Trump of Asia,” due to their shared autocratic tendencies. His presidency stood out, on the foreign front, for a policy of increasing independence from the United States and closer ties with China and Russia. Unfortunately, it was also marked by a sharp rise in extrajudicial killings and human rights violations, for which he is now facing charges, a consequence of the poorly managed promise that led him to the presidency almost ten years ago: the promise of an unrelenting “war on drugs”.
After the arrest, Duterte questioned the basis of the mandate, asking: “What crime have I committed?”
Well, the number of victims of Duterte’s anti-drug campaign ranges from 12,000 to 30,000, although official figures are much lower. The ICC handles charges of war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and aggression; it steps in when nations are unable or unwilling to prosecute crimes within their own jurisdiction. While the Philippines withdrew from the ICC in 2019, the court retains jurisdiction over alleged crimes committed when the country was still a member, as well as murders committed in Davao City when the former leader was mayor, before becoming president.
The shadow of the Davao Death Squad
Rodrigo Duterte was mayor of Davao for more than 22 years, during which the city earned a reputation as one of the most disciplined cities, which is why the former president remains popular and has many supporters. Numerous reports, including those by Human Rights Watch (HRW) and the United Nations, have documented the existence of the so-called Davao Death Squad (DDS), paramilitary groups allegedly operating under the protection and coordination of the Duterte administration. The DDS did not just hunt down known criminals involved in drug trafficking, but severely punished (often with death) drug addicts, small-time dealers, and even minors suspected of theft or vandalism.
The ICC launched an investigation in 2016, when the president initiated a hard-line campaign against “illegal drug personalities”, asserting the Philippines had become a “narco-state”. Upon becoming president, Duterte nationalized the method he had used in Davao. The methods involved included summary executions, enforced disappearances and murders. The former president launched a ruthless anti-drug campaign, declaring publicly: “Kill them all. If you know a drug addict, kill him yourself so he doesn’t suffer.” Among the key testimonies against Duterte are the confessions of a former DDS hitman, Edgar Matobato, and a former police officer, Arturo Lascañas.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) opened a formal investigation against Duterte in 2021. With his recent arrest, it formally indicted the former president for his role in extrajudicial killings, holding him accountable for the most serious international crimes committed during his “war on drugs.” Following his arrest, Duterte was transferred to the Hague in the Netherlands to face charges before the ICC. While human rights organizations and families of victims welcomed the news, further reactions were mixed, especially at home. Duterte still has a huge number of followers. Among them there is undoubtedly his daughter, Sara Duterte – the current vice president of the Philippines and former mayor of Davao during her father’s presidency – who flew to Amsterdam on March 12, 2025 to assist her father in his legal defense. On social media, Duterte’s youngest daughter, Veronica Duterte, also showed support by sharing a post with her father to her 18 million followers.
The role of Marcos’ administration
And what about the current president Ferdinand Marcos Jr.? Rodrigo Duterte’s arrest was facilitated by the Marcos administration, which executed the mandate of the ICC. Considering the current tense situation with the vice president Sara Duterte, who is reportedly facing impeachment charges against the Marcos government, the arrest was seen by many as a strategic move in the feud between the families. With Rodrigo Duterte on trial in The Hague and Sara Duterte facing an impeachment trial, the political landscape of the Philippines is undergoing a profound transformation.
A landmark case for International Justice
Rodrigo Duterte’s arrest is a significant moment in Philippine history, marking the first time a former Asian head of state has faced trial at the ICC. The NGO Amnesty International said this would be even more significant “at a time when several states are rejecting international justice and delegitimizing the International Criminal Court.”
According to the official site of the International Criminal Court, the Pre-Trial Chamber I (“the Chamber”) – composed of Presiding Judge Iulia Antoanella Motoc, Judges Reine Adélaïde Sophie Alapini-Gansou and María del Socorro Flores Liera – found that there are reasonable grounds to hold him responsible, as an indirect co-author, for the murder of thousands of people between 1 November 2011 and 16 March 2019 in the Philippines. Soon, Duterte’s initial appearance before the Court will be scheduled. There, his identity, the language in which the trial will proceed and his rights under the Statute of Rome will be confirmed. The Registrar of the ICC, Osvaldo Zavala Giler, thanked the Philippine authorities for their commitment to international justice and those of the Netherlands for their support and cooperation.
Duterte’s arrest is a clear signal that no leader is above the law and that crimes against humanity must be punished. Now we ask: will justice be done?