Rodrigo Duterte arrested on charges of ‘crimes against humanity’ while president of the Philippines

Published March 11, 2025 11:24am ET



Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte was arrested on an International Criminal Court warrant for his war on drugs while president.

After returning from Hong Kong, the former strongman was detained by Filipino authorities at Manila International Airport. His arrest made him a rare case, as he is the first former state leader arrested on an ICC warrant and the first former Asian leader to be arrested on an ICC warrant. He is wanted for crimes against humanity during his 2016-2022 presidential term, during which police and vigilantes killed upward of tens of thousands of people extrajudicially.

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