Arrest of Duterte is a Breakthrough and Milestone in Efforts to Seek Justice at the International Criminal Court (ICC)

Topics
Crimes against humanity
Arrests
11 March 2025
Author: 
Philippine Coalition for the International Criminal Court (PCICC)
The arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte today for crimes against humanity marks a significant breakthrough and a milestone in the pursuit of justice at the International Criminal Court (ICC) for the tens of thousands of victims of the War on Drugs in the Philippines. This development represents a crucial step towards accountability for the systematic and widespread killings that the Philippine justice system failed to address due to the failure to investigate and file charges against the perpetrators, despite the long-standing existence of the death squads.

To date, only 8 police officers have been convicted for the killing of 5 individuals, while over 6,000 people were killed during police operations under Duterte’s administration. The total estimated number of death is around 30,000. It is important to note that the Davao death squads started in the 1990s when Rodrigo Duterte was mayor. These squads expanded to other areas and became a nationwide phenomenon after Duterte assumed the presidency in June 2016. The killings continue to this day with Operation Double Barrel still in effect.

The families of victims of the bloody War on Drugs, supported by members of the Philippine Coalition for the International Criminal Court (PCICC), are expressing a mix of joy and hope, tempered by anxiety about the outcome of the ICC case. The ICC’s temporal jurisdiction over the extrajudicial killings covers only incidents from November 11, 2011 to March 16, 2019.

We hope that other high ranking officials who led the bloody war on drugs will also be issued warrants of arrest by the ICC.

We also hope the ICC process will be swift, fair so that genuine justice will be attained.

Further, we recommend thorough investigations and prosecutions of both the direct perpetrators of killings and those who instigated, emboldened, and rewarded them. These efforts should be pursued diligently in both Philippine courts and at the ICC. Justice must be served for all those killed in the drug war, including the estimated 30,000 victims during the nationwide campaign, as well as those killed before July 1, 2016, and after June 30, 2022, to break the cycle of impunity. The Philippines should view the ICC as complementary to its own judicial system, as recognized by the international community and the Philippine Supreme Court. The Philippines should file murder cases, particularly for those incidents outside the ICC's jurisdiction.

AURORA CORAZON A. PARONG & ATTY. RAY PAOLO SANTIAGO

Co-Chairpersons, PCICC

"Let us turn our aspirations for justice and accountability into reality."