The Philippine president had his predecessor arrested and flown to The Hague
He was charged with murder in a drug crackdown that human rights groups say killed thousands, and his family called it kidnapping.
Bloomberg Originals · How a Wild Philippines Political Feud Could Affect AsiaRodrigo Duterte, who led the Philippines from 2016 to 2022, ended up detained in the Netherlands after the government of his successor put him on a plane out of the country.
The successor was President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., whose family had run for office in 2022 on a joint ticket with Duterte's family. They called it the Uniteam, a north-south alliance that romped to victory. Within a few years, the president and his vice president, Sara Duterte, the former president's daughter, were at each other's throats.
The joint ticket had been a coalition of convenience. Sara Duterte wanted the defence post but was given education, and relations worsened after an inquiry into funds that she denies misusing.
That split is what makes the arrest so startling. In March, Marcos's government enforced a warrant from the International Criminal Court, a tribunal in the Netherlands that prosecutes grave crimes, against the former president. Duterte was accused of ordering the killing of dozens of suspected drug sellers. Rights advocates put the death toll in the thousands.
Duterte had built his presidency around a violent campaign against drugs, and around a pivot away from the United States and toward warmer ties with China.
He was sent by air to the Netherlands to face the court. Instead of weakening Sara politically, the arrest seemed to lift her standing.
The Duterte side portrayed the transfer as a surrender of Philippine sovereignty, and as a crime in itself. In its account, handing the former president to the court was an act of kidnapping and a travesty of justice.
For now, the former president remains in detention in the Netherlands, while his daughter, still vice president, accuses Marcos of not knowing how to be president. The alliance that was supposed to unite the country ended with Marcos's government handing Duterte to the court.
Questions people ask
What is the International Criminal Court?
It is a court in The Hague, Netherlands, created by treaty in 2002 to try genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and aggression. It steps in when national courts are unwilling or unable to prosecute. The Philippines withdrew from the court in 2019, but the court says it still has authority over alleged crimes committed while the country was a member.
What was Duterte's drug war?
After taking office in 2016, Rodrigo Duterte ordered police and officials to crack down on drug dealers and users, saying he would protect officers who killed suspects. Police reported thousands of suspects killed in operations, and human rights groups put the total death toll in the thousands.
Can a former president actually be put on trial there?
Yes, if the court's judges confirm the charges and order a trial. The process is slow, with months or years of hearings on evidence, detention, and fitness to stand trial. Conviction requires proof beyond a reasonable doubt, and sentences are served in prisons made available by member countries.