After a warrant for his arrest was issued by the ICC, former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte was flown to The Hague for prosecution.
Duterte will be tried at the ICC (International Criminal Court) for alleged unlawful killings during his “war on drugs”.
Flown to Rotterdam
Philippine authorities arrested the former president in Manila on March 11. He was subsequently put on a plane, which was supposed to land in Rotterdam today (March 12) at 7 AM.
According to RTL News, the airport confirmed the plane Duterte boarded was headed to the Netherlands, but did not confirm Duterte’s presence on board.
However, both the current Philippine president, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., and the ICC confirmed that the aircraft was indeed carrying Duterte.
@philippinestar Former president Rodrigo Duterte boards a plane on Tuesday evening following his arrest, as seen from a video shared by retired general Filmore Escobal. PNP CIDG chief Nicolas Torre III that the flight is bound for The Hague. #philippinestar #newsph #duterte #rodrigoduterte ♬ original sound – Philippine STAR
His daughter (and current vice president) Sara Duterte criticised her country’s involvement in Duterte’s arrest.
“This shows the world that this government is willing to abandon its own citizen and betray our sovereignty and national dignity… This is not justice. This is oppression and persecution.”
“I don’t care about human rights”
Duterte is being prosecuted for the deaths of at least 43 people during his “war on drugs” between 2011 and 2019, the year the Philippines also withdrew from the ICC.
According to a report by the Human Rights Watch, the Philippine authorities routinely falsified evidence to justify unlawful killings.
The report suggests that between police officers acting on Duterte’s behalf and “unidentified vigilantes”, the death toll may even reach 7,000 people.
In a presidential campaign speech in 2016, Duterte stated: “My order is shoot to kill [drug dealers]. I don’t care about human rights, you better believe me.”
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