MANILA, Philippines – Amnesty International called former President Rodrigo Duterte’s arrest by Philippine authorities on Tuesday, on the basis of an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) as “a long-awaited and monumental step for justice for the thousands of victims and survivors of his administration’s war on drugs.”
The Secretary General of Amnesty International and former United Nations Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions Agnes Callamard said that the arrest of Duterte on an ICC warrant is a “hopeful sign” for the victims in the Philippines and beyond.
In her post on X, Callamard also praised the Philippine government and at the same time, posed a challenge by demanding accountability for crimes committed over the past decade.
“The Philippines government has taken a resolute step, and should be commended for it, but accountability must not stop here. The ICC investigation covers only some of the crimes committed over the past decade,” Callamard stated on X.
“Former President Duterte was at the centre of a grave human rights crisis in the country, but he is not the only one suspected of criminal responsibility, nor have violations stopped since he left office,” she added.
Callamard mentioned that it is incumbent on the present government that investigations and prosecutions do not end with the arrest of Duterte, and extend to domestic-level accountability for all those responsible for human rights violations in the ‘war on drugs’.
She believes that the Philippine authorities “must now surrender Duterte to the ICC in The Hague” to face trial for the alleged crimes against humanity, but insists that the former president must be “strictly afforded all fair trial guarantees and other legal rights while detained by the authorities.”
The prominent human rights expert also urged the Philippine government to rejoin the Rome statute, after the country withdrew its membership in 2019.
“Amnesty International calls on the Philippine government to rejoin the Rome Statute and cooperate fully with the ICC’s investigation, including if further arrest warrants are issued against other former and current Philippine government officials,” Callamard mentioned in her post on X.
Duterte was arrested after arriving from Hong Kong and was taken into police custody after the ICC warrant was served.
From the airport, the 79-year-old Duterte was taken to Villamor Airbase and was examined by government doctors.
The ICC started its probe on the massive drug killings as possible crimes against humanity under Duterte from November 2011 when he was still mayor of Davao City up to March 16, 2019 before Manila withdrew its membership to the Rome Statute.
