JAKARTA - Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte was detained on Tuesday under an arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court (ICC) accusing him of crimes against humanity regarding the brutal "war against drugs" policy he led while in office.
A member of the Philippine National Police met the former president when Duterte arrived in Manila, the capital, on a flight from Hong Kong.
Duterte launched an extensive war against drugs after taking office in 2016. The independent human rights organization accused him of overseeing an extrajudicial killing crosswar, most of which was allegedly carried out by the so-called "murder squad."
More than 12.000 people are thought to have been killed, according to Human Rights Watch.
Officials in Manila said they received a copy of the ICC arrest warrant via Interpol on Tuesday morning. Dozens of officers stormed Ninoy Aquino International Airport to arrest Duterte when he and his aides arrived around 9.20 am, the presidential office said.
"The former President and his entourage are in good health and have been examined by government doctors," the office said in a statement posted on social media in Philippine.
"They have confirmed that he is in good condition," the statement continued.
The ICC began an investigation into Duterte's "war on drugs" in September 2021.
The Philippine government that year sought to end the investigation.
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Karim AA Khan, prosecutor ICC rejected the request referring to an investigation by the Philippine Human Rights Commission on police and state activities carried out under the "war against drugs" between 2016 and 2021.
The investigation found the government "failed in its obligation to respect and protect the human rights of every citizen, in particular, victims of drug-related killings and has encouraged a culture of impunity that protects perpetrators from accountability.
The court focused its investigation on Duterte's actions between 2011, when he was the local mayor, and 2019.
During those years, Duterte and other top government officials have reportedly encouraged, supported, allowed, and forgiven the killing of drug users and dealers, prosecutor ICC said.
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