Rodrigo Duterte has arrived in the Netherlands to face International Criminal Court charges related to his anti-drug campaign during his presidency, which reportedly caused numerous deaths. The ICC’s warrant cites reasonable grounds for murder charges against him, amid claims of up to 30,000 fatalities during his tenure.
Rodrigo Duterte, the former president of the Philippines, arrived in the Netherlands to confront charges regarding his violent anti-drug campaign, which allegedly led to numerous deaths during his presidency from 2016 to 2022. His flight landed at Rotterdam Airport shortly before 4 PM UK time.
At 79 years of age, Mr. Duterte has been detained under an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) based in The Hague. This warrant was executed following his return from a visit to Hong Kong, as stated by the current Philippine president, Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
The ICC commenced an investigation into the mass killings associated with Duterte’s anti-drug operations during his tenure as mayor of Davao and later as president. Human rights organizations claim that approximately 30,000 individuals lost their lives due to this campaign, while police reports present a much lower figure of over 6,000 deaths.
According to the warrant, ICC judges determined that there are “reasonable grounds to believe that [Mr] Duterte is individually responsible for the crime against humanity of murder.”
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In summary, Rodrigo Duterte has landed in the Netherlands to face serious charges related to his controversial ‘war on drugs.’ This campaign resulted in significant loss of life, with discrepancies reported between human rights organizations and national police statistics. The ICC’s investigation highlights potentially grave consequences for the former president as he confronts accusations of crimes against humanity.
Original Source: news.sky.com