Former Philippine leader Rodrigo Duterte left the capital Manila on a plane on Monday and is on his way to The Hague, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said, hours after Duterte was arrested at the request of the International Criminal Court (ICC) over the "war on drugs" that has marked his presidency, Reuters reports.
Duterte was president from 2016 to 2022.
"I am confident that the arrest was proper and that all necessary legal procedures were followed. We did not assist the ICC in any way. The arrest was made in accordance with Interpol," Marcos said in a press conference confirming that Duterte had left the country and headed to the Netherlands.
Duterte was arrested earlier today at the airport in Manila, the capital of the Philippines, on the orders of the International Criminal Court (ICC) on charges of crimes against humanity.
Duterte was arrested upon his arrival from Hong Kong and was detained by police on the orders of the ICC, which is investigating mass killings during his presidency as part of his brutal war on drugs, the office of current President Marcos said.
Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte, daughter of Rodrigo Duterte, said today that Filipinos should not obey the orders of foreigners on their soil, in a statement that followed her father's arrest at the request of the ICC.
"We are not Filipinos in vain," she said in a statement, according to Reuters.
Duterte's youngest daughter, Veronica Duterte, previously said her father was put on a plane without the family being told his destination.
"A plane kidnapped my dad a few minutes ago," she posted earlier on Instagram.
Duterte could become the first former head of state of an Asian country to be tried before the ICC.
Sara Duterte, who is estranged from Marcos, also said her father did not seek asylum from the Chinese government when he visited Hong Kong, nor did he speak to any Chinese officials, Reuters reported.
She was responding to speculation that her father had traveled to Hong Kong to seek asylum before his arrest.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry previously said that the ICC should not be politicized.
Sara Duterte also said there was no point in talking to Marcos, her former ally, and said Rodrigo Duterte's arrest was politically motivated and all about the 2028 elections.
She has emphasized that she will run for president in 2028, but she faces an impeachment trial supported by the president's allies.
The "war on drugs" was Duterte's signature campaign platform that brought him to power, and he soon fulfilled promises he made during fiery speeches to kill thousands of drug dealers and drug users.
Rodrigo Duterte has long insisted that he instructed police to kill only in self-defense and has always defended the crackdown, repeating to his supporters that he is willing to "rot in prison" if it means ridding the Philippines of drugs.
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