Former Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte was taken into custody by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Wednesday 12 March.
The ICC, based in The Hague, believes there are "reasonable grounds" to charge Duterte with murder as a crime against humanity, as an "indirect co-perpetrator" during the anti-drug campaign that rights groups estimate killed tens of thousands.
The ICC, based in The Hague, believes there are "reasonable grounds" to charge Duterte with murder as a crime against humanity, as an "indirect co-perpetrator" during the anti-drug campaign that rights groups estimate killed tens of thousands.
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NewsTranscript
00:00I am about to land in Sagaig.
00:07The former president of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, is in the custody of the International
00:12Criminal Court.
00:14He was arrested in Manila on charges of crimes against humanity relating to his years-long
00:18war on drugs.
00:20Here's a closer look at what brought us to this point.
00:23In issuing the warrant, the judges have found reasonable grounds to believe that Mr. Duterte
00:30has committed the crime of murder as the founder, as the head of the so-called Davao death squad,
00:41as the mayor of Davao City, and then later as the president of the Philippines.
00:47Duterte swept to power in mid-2016, promising to rid the country of drugs.
00:53Hitler massacred 3 million Jews.
00:57Now, there is 3 million, there's a 3 million drug addicts, there are.
01:05I'd be happy to slaughter them.
01:08Security services were given shoot-to-kill orders and offered bounties for the bodies
01:12of drug dealers.
01:14Duterte himself told ordinary Filipinos to kill drug users.
01:18The addicts there, you are the only ones who will die.
01:23If it's his son, you are the one who will die.
01:27If it's his son, you are the one who will die so that it won't be too painful.
01:33The ICC began an initial probe into alleged drug war killings in 2018.
01:38Shortly afterwards, Duterte pulled Manila out of the court.
01:42But the tribunal has ruled that crimes committed before the 2019 withdrawal remain under its
01:48jurisdiction.
01:49Rights groups estimate the campaign killed tens of thousands, most of them poor men,
01:54often without proof they had links to drugs.
01:57Why is it like that?
01:59We have a prison, we have a municipality, we have a prison.
02:02Why didn't they put my son there?
02:04Even if my son is in prison, he's still alive.
02:07But they put him there.
02:10Look at him.
02:12That night.
02:14Current President Ferdinand Marcos initially ruled out cooperating with the probe, but
02:19his stance shifted as the alliance between the two powerful families unraveled.
02:23Duterte could now become the first Asian former head of state to face an ICC trial.
02:29President Duterte deserves a fair trial, a privilege and a right that he denied thousands
02:36of people himself when he had them gunned down on the accusations that they were drug
02:44users, but he will get a fair trial.
02:46At a recent rally in Hong Kong, Duterte insisted the tribunal lacked jurisdiction and claimed
02:52his actions during the drug war were meant to, quote, provide a semblance of peace and
02:56quiet for Filipinos.
02:59He has since said he is prepared to take responsibility for his actions.
03:04For justice system!
03:10Supporters rallied in The Hague to demand his release, but others have welcomed the
03:14arrest, including those who lost family members during his bloody crackdown.