Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte was being flown to the Netherlands on Wednesday to face an International Criminal Court (ICC) charge of crimes against humanity linked to the deadly crackdown on drugs he oversaw while in office.
The 79-year-old Duterte’s arrest on Tuesday on a warrant issued by the global court was hailed by human rights groups and families of victims as a major breakthrough and step toward ending impunity.
Flight tracking data showed that after leaving Manila, the jet carrying Duterte waited for hours in Dubai before taking off again, apparently headed for Rotterdam The Hague Airport.
The court didn’t immediately comment on the flight, but Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said on Tuesday that police arrested Duterte when he returned from a trip to Hong Kong and sent him to the ICC.
When he arrives in the Netherlands, he will be taken to the court’s detention unit inside a Dutch prison complex near the North Sea coast.
ICC judges who looked at prosecution evidence supporting their request for his arrest found “reasonable grounds to believe that Mr Duterte is individually responsible for the crime against humanity of murder” as an “indirect co-perpetrator for having allegedly overseen the killings when he was mayor of Davao and later president of the Philippines,” according to his warrant.
Within days of being taken into custody at the court’s detention center, Duterte will be taken to court for a hearing.
Judges will confirm his identity, check that he understands the charges against him and set a date for a hearing known as a confirmation of charges at which a panel of pretrial judges will assess if prosecutors have sufficient evidence to merit sending him to a full trial.
That process will likely take months and if the case progresses to trial it could take years.
Duterte could challenge the court’s jurisdiction and the admissibility of the case. While the Philippines is no longer a member of the ICC, the alleged crimes happened before Manila withdrew from the court.
Meanwhile, lawyers for Duterte filed a petition on Wednesday demanding his return to Manila.
Lawyers filed a Supreme Court petition – on behalf of his youngest daughter Veronica – accusing the government of “kidnapping” Duterte and demanding it “bring him back.”
“The ICC can only exercise its jurisdiction if a country’s national legal system is not functioning,” lawyer Salvador Paolo Panelo Jr. told reporters outside the court, insisting the Philippines’ judicial system was “working properly”.
But presidential palace press officer Claire Castro said cooperating with Interpol was the government’s prerogative.
“This is not just surrendering a Filipino citizen, this is surrendering a Filipino citizen who is accused of crimes against humanity, specifically murder,” she said.
Speaking to reporters outside the ICC, Gilbert Andres, a lawyer representing victims of the drug war, said: “My clients are very thankful to God because their prayers have been answered.”
“They are grateful to see that even someone as powerful as Rodrigo Duterte is being brought to justice,” Andres added.
But others came to show support for Duterte.
“We stand behind President Duterte,” said Aimee, 28, from Manila, declining to give her last name for security fears. “What’s happening here is unfair and brings tears to my eyes.”
Rights groups and families of victims welcomed the arrest.
“This is a monumental and long-overdue step for justice for thousands of victims and their families,” said Jerrie Abella of Amnesty International.
“It is therefore a hopeful sign for them, as well, in the Philippines and beyond, as it shows that suspected perpetrators of the worst crimes, including government leaders, will face justice wherever they are in the world,” Abella added.
Emily Soriano, the mother of a victim of the crackdowns, said she wanted more officials to face justice.
“Duterte is lucky he has due process, but our children who were killed did not have due process,” she said.
