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TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Former Philippines’ President Rodrigo Duterte was arrested by local police at the request of the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Tuesday, March 11, 2025. Duterte is accused of being involved in thousands of killings during a bloody "war on drugs" during his presidency, Reuters reported.
Duterte was known for his iron-fist approach to drug dealers during his tenure as mayor of Davao. After assuming office in 2016, Duterte's administration launched a bloody war on drugs called Oplan Tokhang, which saw the execution of thousands of suspected drug dealers, users, and small-time criminals, as reported by Philstar Life.
According to the Philippine authorities, a total of 6,229 people were killed during the anti-drug operations, which they claimed ended in shootouts. However, activists stated that the actual number of deaths was much higher, with thousands of drug users in slum areas, many of whom were included in the official "watchlists," dying in mysterious circumstances.
Here is the initial chronology of the ICC's investigation and Duterte's arrest:
2016
The ICC prosecutor at that time, Fatou Bensouda, stated that they were closely observing the Philippines as the killings under Duterte's administration continued to escalate just four months into his term. Though denounced by the international community, Duterte dismissed the criticisms and said he was "willing to rot in jail for the Filipino."
2017
Edgar Matobato, a self-proclaimed member of the Davao Death Squads, filed a criminal complaint to the ICC against Duterte. Through his lawyer, Jude Sabio, he claimed to have “direct proof beyond reasonable doubt” to incriminate Duterte.
2018
The ICC Prosecutor's Office stated that they had initiated a preliminary examination into the complaint lodged against Duterte. However, Duterte claimed that the ICC had no jurisdiction over him, "not in a million years."
Duterte later announced that the Philippines would withdraw from the ICC, citing "baseless, unprecedented, and outrageous" attacks from the court against his administration as the basis.
However, this did not change the status of the ongoing ICC investigation, as the withdrawal would only take effect a year after the date of the notification. Being a non-member state also would not affect the ongoing process before the withdrawal.
2019
The Philippines officially withdrew as a member state of the ICC a year after Duterte's announcement. The ICC investigation continued despite the country's withdrawal.
Bensouda stated that her preliminary examination would be finalized by 2020 to decide whether to request authorization to open an investigation into the situation in the Philippines.
2020
Bensouda stated that there was a "reasonable basis" to believe that crimes against humanity had been committed during Duterte’s war on drugs, which she said occurred between July 1, 2016, and March 16, 2019.
However, her office at that time was unable to conclude the preliminary examination to open a formal investigation due to limitations caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
2021
Bensouda made a request for authorization before the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber to open an investigation into the killings under Duterte's government—and while he served as the mayor of Davao City.
The ICC Pre-Trial Chamber approved the investigation into Duterte's war on drugs, citing a "reasonable basis" for the prosecutor to proceed as "crimes against humanity in the form of murder appears to have been committed."
2021
Karim Khan, Bensouda's successor, urged Duterte to cooperate with the ICC in its investigation into the killings. Duterte's administration requested the ICC to defer the investigation and its proceedings. The Philippine Ambassador to the Netherlands, J. Eduardo Malaya said the country is more than adequate to address the issue.
2022
Khan requested the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber to proceed with the investigation into the war on drugs and the killings in Davao City between 2011 and 2016.
Ferdinand Marcos Jr replaced Duterte as president. He formed a legal team to discuss how his administration would deal with the ICC. Marcos, who at the time was still on good terms with the Duterte family, stated that the Philippines did not intend to rejoin the ICC.
Khan stated that the Philippine government's request to postpone the investigation was "not warranted" and affirmed the need to resume the investigation.
2023
The Philippine Attorney General filed an appeal notice requesting the ICC to suspend its decision to continue the investigation into the killings. Similar to Duterte, Marcos was disinterested in the ICC investigation, stating that the court was an “intrusion into our internal matters.”
The ICC rejected the motion to block the request of the families of the victims of the drug war, allowing them to participate in the proceedings.
On November 24, Marcos finally stated that they were considering the possibility of the Philippines rejoining the ICC. An ICC team was alleged to have visited the Philippines to gather evidence against Duterte in December.
2024
Marcos had started to soften. Although he asserted that the Philippines would not cooperate with the ICC in its investigation into the killings during the war on drugs, he did not obstruct their visit.
ICC Assistant Counsel Kristina Conti stated she was "pretty sure" that Duterte would be considered one of the most responsible and might be summoned or ordered to be arrested by the ICC.
On October 28, a hearing on Duterte's war on drugs was held in Congress. Duterte stated that he took "full legal responsibility" for anything that occurred during the drug war but did not apologize for any of the killings.
Marcos reiterated that he would not obstruct the ICC in its investigation into Duterte. At the time, relations between Marcos and Sara Duterte had deteriorated significantly. Sara even threatened to kill Marcos.
2025
On the evening of March 8, rumors circulated about Duterte's arrest by the ICC for crimes against humanity. Two weeks earlier, Duterte was said to have been informed about the warrant.
On March 9, Malacanang acknowledged the rumors and stated that the government was "prepared for any eventuality."
Interpol reportedly issued a red notice, a "request to law enforcement worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition, surrender, or similar legal action."
The Philippine National Police was placed on high alert and deployed at least 7,000 personnel to several areas in the Philippines, including Metro Manila and Duterte's hometown, Davao, on Monday, March 10. The following day, Duterte was arrested.
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