Former president of the Phillipines, Rodrigo Duterte, has been flown to the Hague after the International Criminal Court accused him of crimes against humanity with his “war on drugs”.
The 79-year-old was taken into police custody shortly after his arrival at the Manila international airport from Hong Kong and initially contested his arrest but within just a few hours was on a plane to the Netherlands, where the ICC is located.
The ICC only handles “the gravest crimes”, including genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and the crime of aggression.
They have accused Duterte of crimes against humanity over his anti-drugs action during his sitting as leader from 2016 to 2022, in which as many as 30,000 people were killed without trial.
The majority of the victims killed were men in poorer urban areas and were usually shot in the streets.
Current President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, said Duterte would be facing charges in relation to his “bloody war on drugs” and that the Philippines was doing its legal duty.
"Interpol asked for help and we obliged," said Marcos in a press conference.
“This is what the international community expects of us.”
Most of the victims were men in poor, urban areas who were gunned down in the streets.
