Metro Manila, Philippines – Former President Rodrigo Duterte’s arrest on Tuesday, March 11, has prompted various reactions among lawmakers, former officials, and rights groups, with some calling the International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant a “critical step for accountability” while allies of the ex-chief executive called the action “unlawful.”
The arrest comes as the Palace announced that the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) Manila received an official copy of ICC’s arrest warrant against Duterte for crimes against humanity enforced during his administration’s bloody war on drugs. Among those who lauded the arrest include former Senator Leila de Lima, a known critic of the Duterte administration who was detained for almost seven years for fabricated drug war cases.“I faced my case, knowing I was innocent. I stood before the courts because I had nothing to hide,” she said.“Duterte now has to answer for his actions, not in the court of public opinion, but before the rule of law. This is how justice should work—those in power must be held to the same standards as everyone else,” De Lima added.
Former Senator Antonio “Sonny” Trillanes IV, also a vocal critic of Duterte, welcomed the arrest, thanking supporters and advocates who sought for justice for the drug war’s extrajudicial killing victims.
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