Duterte’s son vows to ‘fight back’ against father’s ICC arrest

The son of former Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has vowed to “fight back” against his father’s detention by the International Criminal Court. Sebastian ‘Baste’ Duterte, currently the mayor of Davao City, called on supporters to “stand up” against what he claims is the illegal arrest of his father.

Rodrigo Duterte, 79, was arrested by Philippines authorities at Manila’s international airport last week and flown to The Hague, where he is standing trial on charges of crimes against humanity linked to his ‘war on drugs’.

According to the ICC arrest warrant, the former president allegedly organized “death squads” that carried out extrajudicial killings of suspected drug dealers and users between 2016 and 2022.

Baste Duterte has claimed that his father’s arrest “sets a dangerous precedent,” while other officials in the Philippines have also criticized the extradition of the former leader.

“We will stand up and we will fight back,” he said.

The ICC began investigating Duterte’s anti-drug campaign in 2018, focusing on allegations of extrajudicial killings and police brutality. Activists claimed innocent people, including children, were killed, while police insisted they acted in self-defense. Duterte has denied wrongdoing but admitted the crackdown was violent. Officially, 6,200 people were killed, though experts believe the toll is much higher.

Some human rights advocates have called the arrest of the former president illegal as the Philippines formally withdrew from the ICC in 2019 on Duterte’s orders. The Hague-based court insists that it retains jurisdiction over crimes that may have been committed while the country was a signatory to it.

Rodrigo Duterte’s lawyers have filed a petition accusing the Philippines government of “kidnapping” and arguing that his extradition violated both domestic law and the ICC regulations.