Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is transferred to The Hague to answer to the ICC

Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte was flown to The Hague after being arrested on Tuesday at Manila International Airport in the Philippine capital, Manila, on the orders of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in connection with a crimes against humanity case brought against him for his brutal crusade against illegal drugs.

According to a statement from the office of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Duterte was arrested after arriving from Hong Kong and taken into police custody on the orders of the ICC, which is investigating multiple killings that occurred during his rule and his anti-drug campaign.

"Early this morning, Interpol Manila received the official copy of the ICC arrest warrant," a presidential statement said. "Currently, [Rodrigo Duterte] is in the custody of the authorities."

The ICC began investigating the mass killings linked to Duterte's anti-drug campaign on Nov. 1, 2011, when he was still mayor of Davao, until March 16, 2019, classifying them as possible crimes against humanity.

In 2019, in a move widely criticized by human rights activists and political opponents, Duterte withdrew the Philippines from the Rome Statute.

Critics said the former Philippine leader tried to evade accountability for extrajudicial killings.

Duterte unsuccessfully attempted to suspend the ICC investigation at the end of 2021, arguing that Philippine authorities were already investigating the same events and that the international court had no jurisdiction. Finally, in 2022, Duterte lost power, succeeded by President Marcos Jr., who has maintained a tense political feud with the former president.

While Marcos Jr. did not reinstate the Philippines to the ICC, his administration did fulfill its promise to cooperate if the ICC requests the international police to arrest Duterte through a "Red Notice."

Duterte's lawyers' petition to the Supreme Court

The former president's lawyers on Wednesday filed a petition on behalf of his youngest daughter, Veronica, before the Philippine Supreme Court accusing the government of “kidnapping” and demanding that they take Duterte “back.”

AFP correspondents saw the aircraft carrying the former president make a stopover in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Once he arrives in The Hague, Duterte, 79, has to be transferred to the ICC headquarters, to answer for the crimes he is charged with.