Nelson Morales

Duterte questions ICC warrant of arrest, demands answers for ‘deprivation of liberty’

Article (news)

Katrina Domingo

ABS-CBN News

MANILA — Former President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday questioned the legality of his arrest by police acting on an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant citing crimes against humanity tied to his war on drugs.In a video uploaded by his daughter Veronica on social media, Duterte was seen sitting in what appeared to be the Villamor Air Base and questioning authorities on the basis for his arrest after he landed at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) from Hong Kong.“What is the law and what is the crime that I committed? Explain to me now the legal basis for my being here as apparently I was brought here not of my own volition. It’s somebody else’s,” the former President said.“You have to answer now for the deprivation of liberty… Have you read the case at the time you made the arrest so that you should be guided on what you should know?” he said.<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1741667966892Snapinst.app_483508736_18358412371121468_971746761730777178_n_1024.jpg" style="width:500px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/> Veronica Duterte, Instagram</div>Former Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea questioned the ICC prosecutor general over the allegedly “questionable warrant of arrest.”“Alam mo ba na hindi man lang siya na-serve kung anong  kaso ang chinacharge sa kaniya ngayon? Hindi niya alam. Lahat ng charges sa kaniya nasa dyaryo lang,” Medialdea said.“You are the prosecutor general. You know how to exercise due process. You know before you can file charges you have to file a complaint, we have to file a counter affidavit,” he said.“Without doing those processes, here we are now facing a warrant of arrest, a questionable warrant of arrest,” he added.Medialdea underscored that the Philippines has long withdrawn from the ICC, the entity hearing charges of crimes against humanity filed against the former president.“Hindi ba kayo naaano na ganito ginagawa natin, na sumusunod tayo sa isang entity na hindi na tayo miyembro, nag withdraw na tayo,” he said.Aside from Medialdea, Duterte was accompanied by his common-law partner Honeylet, and their daughters Veronica and Mira.Earlier this week, Duterte repeatedly said that he was ready to face not only arrest, but even possible incarceration.“Ang hingin ko na lang sa inyo tutal ganito ang suwerte ko sa buhay, okay lang, tatanggapin ko yan, wala tayong magawa kung ikulong tayo,” he told OFWs in Hong Kong on Sunday.In a separate interview before departing Hong Kong, Duterte said that there was no need for thousands of police to gather at the NAIA as he could simply submit himself to arresting authorities.“Hindi ako ganun maglaro nang patago-tago diyan. Naging presidente ako, sino taguan ko? Police? Army? Sino? ICC? Ang tagal ko nanag naghintay niyan, vice mayor pa ako,” Duterte said in an interview on SMNI.“If they want to arrest me, I will go to them,” he added.Malacañang confirmed that the ICC’s Prosecutor General served the former President a “notification for an arrest warrant” for allegedly committing crimes against humanity.The case stems from the thousands of extrajudicial killings recorded under Duterte’s presidency, when he repeatedly ordered the police — in public speeches — to kill drug users and peddlers.

Former President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday questioned the legality of his arrest by police acting on an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant citing crimes against humanity tied to his war on drugs.

Former President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday questioned the legality of his arrest by police acting on an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant citing crimes against humanity tied to his war on drugs.