Police arrested former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte at Manila’s international airport on Tuesday following directives from the International Criminal Court regarding a case of crime against humanity, according to Philippine government officials.

Upon his return from Hong Kong, law enforcement took Duterte into custody based on ICC orders. The elderly former leader is charged with “the crime against humanity” by the ICC, following a campaign where human rights organisations estimate that law enforcement and vigilante groups killed tens of thousands of underprivileged men, frequently without evidence for their involvement in narcotics.

“Early in the morning, Interpol Manila received the official copy of the warrant of the arrest from the ICC,” stated the presidential office in an announcement. “As of now, he is under the custody of authorities.” The announcement further indicated that “the former president and his group are in good health and are being checked by government doctors”.

The ICC initiated its probe into drug-related deaths under Duterte’s tenure spanning from November 1, 2011, as mayor of Davao, through March 16, 2019, examining potential crimes against humanity. In 2019, Duterte withdrew the Philippines from the Rome Statute, an action rights advocates view as an attempt to avoid responsibility for the killings.

In late 2021, Duterte’s government attempted to halt the international court’s investigation, contending that Philippine authorities were already examining identical allegations and disputing the ICC’s jurisdiction as a court of final resort.

ICC appeals judges authorised the investigation’s continuation in July 2023, dismissing the Duterte administration’s challenges. The ICC, situated in The Hague, Netherlands, intervenes when nations are unable or unwilling to prosecute individuals suspected of severe international offences, including genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.

While President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who followed Duterte in 2022 and later entered a fierce political conflict with him, opted against rejoining the international court, his administration indicated it would assist if the ICC requests international police assistance through a Red Notice to detain Duterte, which enables worldwide law enforcement to locate and temporarily arrest suspects.