Former Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte was just transferred to custody in the Netherlands where he faces charges at the International Criminal Court (ICC) for his crimes against humanity.
CPSO and FFPS Toronto join millions of Filipinos and supporters of the movement for national democracy in the Philippines who welcome the news that Rodrigo Duterte was arrested by Philippine police in Manila, on a warrant from the ICC for the atrocities he committed and facilitated as president of the Philippines.
Duterte’s tenure as former president of the Philippines was marked by his bloody ‘war on drugs’ campaign that killed tens of thousands of Filipinos and led to the arrests and brutalization of countless others, with many on baseless or trumped up charges and rampant red-tagging.
Duterte’s government terrorized many thousands more under martial law in Mindanao and de facto martial law in the countryside. They attacked, detained, and tortured activists, peace consultants, human rights and environmental defenders, and journalists.
In 2024, the International Peoples’ Tribunal released a verdict that sitting president Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Duterte, and the American government under Joe Biden ALL shared responsibility for these war crimes and violations of international humanitarian law in the Philippines. While the tide has turned on Duterte in the Philippines, the struggle carries on to reject and resist the U.S.-backed Marcos administration.
No matter how untouchable those in power may seem, this arrest reminds us that the mass movement and people power is stronger than any rotten system.
We join the call to hold Duterte accountable and to expose and oppose the current slew of ongoing human rights violations committed by the war criminal Marcos Jr., all backed by U.S. imperialism – may this milestone become fuel to the fire for national liberation and genuine democracy to come!
Duterte Arrested!
