Lawyers for the former Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte have demanded that he be returned to Manila in a petition filed to the supreme court, as victims of the former leaders’ bloody “war on drugs” expressed jubilation.
Duterte, who was flown to The Hague on Tuesday night to face charges of crimes against humanity in relation to anti-drugs crackdowns is the first former Asian leader to be served an arrest warrant filed by the ICC. Activists say as many as 30,000 people were killed in the “war on drugs”.
Lawyers for Duterte filed a petition on behalf of his youngest daughter, Veronica, accusing the government of “kidnapping”, and demanding it bring him back.
Duterte’s plane is expected to land in the Netherlands at 10:59 local time. His eldest daughter Sara, the country’s vice-president, also left for Amsterdam on Wednesday morning, to help with his legal preparations.
Carlos Conde, senior researcher at the Asia division of Human Rights Watch, said the developments were historic, and that it would be an understatement to say that victims felt ecstatic at his arrest. “This is something that’s totally unprecedented in the history of this country … not just in this country, [but] for Southeast Asia and even Asia,” he said.
“[Victim’s] spirits are bouyed, they’re very, very optimistic that this is something that can move along expeditiously in The Hague,” Conde said. “The victims here in the Philippines have pretty much lost faith in the domestic justice system, which has done so very little in terms of addressing their quest for justice. This is why they pinned their hopes on the ICC.”
An ICC spokesperson confirmed the arrest warrant on Tuesday and said an initial appearance hearing would be scheduled when Duterte was in court custody.
The timeline for a trial is unclear, but campaigners have called for proceedings to begin swiftly.
The National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers, which has represented the families of victims of the killings, said “victims’ pain from loss” had been, for the day, “eclipsed by joy and hope”.
Duterte’s arrest was symbolic of “a victory of the poor and marginalized, akin to that of David versus Goliath,” the lawyers group said, adding: “We still have to press on and work for his eventual conviction”.
“There’s a feeling of simple joy at what is happening, and relief,” said Brother Jun Santiago, who set up Silingan Coffee, a small coffee shop to help give jobs to the families of victims of extrajudicial killings, and to provide a space to memorialise their stories.
On Tuesday, the cafe offered discounted drinks to customers, to encourage people to visit and learn about the abuses that were committed under Duterte’s government.
Duterte’s arrest was widely celebrated among human rights groups, with the Philippine rights alliance Karapatan describing the development as “long overdue”.
Duterte’s supporters have argued that, as the Philippines withdrew from the Rome statute in 2019, the ICC no longer has jurisdiction. However, the ICC has previously said it retains jurisdiction for alleged crimes that occurred in the country before its withdrawal.
President Ferdinand Marcos said the arrest came at the request of the ICC. “I am confident the arrest was proper, correct and followed all necessary legal procedures,” he told media after Duterte’s departure on Tuesday night. “We did not help the international criminal court in any way. The arrest was made in compliance with Interpol.”