The Philippines on Tuesday arrested its former President Rodrigo Duterte in Manila at the request of the International Criminal Court (ICC) at The Hague for crimes against humanity. The arrest warrant reportedly holds Duterte responsible for the murder of at least 43 people between 2011 and 2019 as part of his war on drugs during his stint as the mayor of the southern city of Davao and later as the president between 2016 and 2022.
The arrest grabbed attention as it was uncommon for a country to arrest its former leader on demands of the ICC, especially since the Philippines is no longer a member of the ICC and is not obliged to do so under international law.
Though the warrant implicates him in the murder of only 43 people, police count pegs the figure at 6,200 suspects. But Human Rights groups say tens of thousands of unarmed suspects were murdered in extrajudicial killings during Duterte’s 'war on drugs', a campaign that defined his presidency.
'Death squads'
On the eve of his May 9, 2016 election, Duterte, who was the mayor of Davao for 22 years, told his supporters: "If I make it to the presidential palace I will do just what I did as mayor. You drug pushers, holdup men, and do-nothings, you better get out because I'll kill you."
He did exactly that. Duterte's 'death squads' that existed under his watch to control crime when he was Davao City mayor, went on a rampage killing tens of thousands.
The 'death squad' began work on the first day of Duterte's Presidency on July 1, 2016. Twelve people were killed on the first day and the next six months saw over 5,000 people, including 2,041 drug suspects, get killed in police operations, according to data gathered by Al Jazeera. Many bodies were found bound in polluted creeks, garbage dump sites and grasslands. The campaign went on for another six years pushing the toll to over 6,200 people, including women and children.
The members of the "death squad" also confessed to receiving money for every kill. Arturo Lascanas, a retired police officer, who confessed before the Senate, said he had personally killed "about 200 people". The squad was formed under the guise of an anti-crime unit within the Davao police and took direct orders from Mayor Duterte about who to kill and how to dispose of the bodies.
Duterte confessed to the squads in 2024. While appearing before a Senate inquiry into his war against drugs, Duterte confirmed the existence of the squad, identifying its "commanders" which included former national police chief-turned-senator Ronaldo dela Rosa. He also justified their actions, stating "that was the job of the police." Though he first claimed they were made of police officers, he then stated they were run by gangsters.
Duterte said he had never ordered the death squad to kill "defenceless suspects" but did instruct them to "encourage criminals to fight back, and when they fought back, kill them so my problems in the city will be solved."
As per the Amnesty International report in 2017, most of the people who were killed were living under the poverty line.