In a scenario that was considered unthinkable for a head of state who presided over the public and brutal killings of thousands of civilians, Rodrigo Duterte, the former president of the Philippines, appeared on Friday in an audience of the International Criminal Court through a video link.
The arrest of Mr. Duterte this week by accusation of crimes against humanity, who arrived almost three years after leaving the post, is a crucial step for the Filipinos who have been looking for justice for their loved ones.
The Philippine Authorities arrested to Mr. Duterte79, on Tuesday at Manila’s main airport after returning from a trip to Hong Kong, days after the ICC issued an arrest order accusing him of crimes against humanity while he was president and during his time as mayor of City of Davao.
He was arrested with the help of Interpol, acting on behalf of the ICC, because the Philippines is no longer a member of the court.
Duterte was flown on Wednesday in the Netherlands and was transported to the Hague.
When he ran President before taking office in 2016, Mr. Double Traveled to order Police and the military for finding drug and traffickers consumers to kill them, promising immunity for those who make orders.
In the first months of the presidency of Mr. Duterte, officers and vigilantes decreased tens of thousands. Some of the victims were minor and many not involved in drug tradeActivists say.
Dutert has long benefited from a culture of impunity. Until Tuesday, it seemed that everything was untouchable despite taking public credit for widespread violence.
Mr. Duterte’s camp said that his arrest was illegal, arguing that the CPI had no jurisdiction in the Philippines because the country had retired from court while he was president.
The judges ruled that the court has jurisdiction because it was investigating murders that passed while the Philippines was still a member of the ICC
The Prosecutor’s Office has accused the Mr. Duterte of Crimes, who says it took place between November 1, 2011 and March 16, 2019, when the Philippines officially retired from court.
The Philippines is still a member of the Interpol, the international police organization who can apply for arrests on behalf of the CPI and which helped to arrest Mr. Duterte this week.
But Mr. Duterte may have been more likely to remain out of court if he had not been for a time of political disorder in the Philippines.
When the six -year period of Mr. Duterte ended in 2022 it was succeeded by Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.Son of an old dictator. Marcos ran together with the daughter of Mr. Duterte, Sara Duterte, the vice -president of the country.
This alliance has been fractured since then and both have had a spectacular fall. At the beginning of his administration, Mr. Marcos had indicated that he would not cooperate with the CPI, but by the end of 2023 his government allowed researchers in the court to enter the country.
The CPI faces a great challenge to try to condemn Mr. Duterte. The court has tried – and several times failed – to condemn leaders. The former President of the Ivory Coast, Laurent Gbagbo, was acquitted in 2019 for his role in post -election violence in the country.
In order to fulfill the standard of crimes against humanity – the position that Mr. Duterte faces – the prosecution must show that the violent campaign « War against drugs » was part of a criminal plan led by Mr. Duterte and that he comprised « a widespread and systematic attack » against Civilians in the Philippines.
Sara Duterte has called the arrest of his father’s political oppression, while Mr. Marcos has said that he simply follows the international convention by fulfilling the interpol’s command.
By passing the arrest of Mr. Duterte, Mr. Marcos may try to eliminate the duties as a political force without any significant reaction. (Ms. Duterte leads polls for the presidential election by 2028.)
The subject is expected to play an important role in the Philippines in May’s medium -term election, which are seen as a battle of representation between the marked and the duties.
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