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Philippines exleader Duterte arrested on ICC warrant over drug killings

· One min read

Philippines ex-leader Duterte arrested on ICC warrant over drug killings​

Philippine police have arrested former President Rodrigo Duterte after the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued a warrant accusing him of crimes against humanity over his deadly "war on drugs".

Philippines ex-leader Duterte arrested on ICC warrant over drug killings

The 79-year-old was taken into police custody shortly after his arrival at Manila airport from Hong Kong, BBC reported.

He has offered no apologies for his brutal anti-drugs crackdown, which saw thousands of people killed when he was president of the Southeast Asian nation from 2016 to 2022, and mayor of Davao city before that.

Upon his arrest, he questioned the basis for the warrant, asking: "What crime [have] I committed?"

Duterte's former presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo criticized the arrest, calling it "unlawful" as the Philippines withdrew from the ICC in 2019.

The ICC earlier said that it has jurisdiction in the Philippines over alleged crimes committed before the country withdrew as a member.
 

source: tehrantimes.com