By Anthony Deutsch and Stephanie van den Berg
ROTTERDAM (Reuters) -A plane taking former Philippine leader Rodrigo Duterte to the International Criminal Court over murder charges was headed for Rotterdam on Wednesday in a move hailed by families of victims of his “war on drugs” as giving them hope for justice.
Duterte, who led the Philippines from 2016 to 2022, was arrested early on Tuesday in Manila, marking the biggest step yet in the ICC’s probe into alleged crimes against humanity during an anti-drugs crackdown that killed thousands and drew condemnation around the world.
Duterte, 79, could become the first Asian former head of state to go on trial at the ICC in The Hague.
The plane had originally been set to land in the Netherlands around 0600 GMT, but tracking service Flightradar 24 showed it should now arrive just after 1600 GMT after a long layover in Dubai during which he received medical checks.
The ICC’s warrant for his arrest says that as president, Duterte created, funded and armed death squads that carried out murders of purported drug users and dealers.
In coming days, he will be brought before a judge and the allegations will be read out in court. Prosecutors accuse him of crimes against humanity for systematic attacks that led to dozens of murders.
About 20 anti-Duterte protesters gathered outside the ICC in the Hague with banners, including one that said: “We demand justice and accountability, Rodrigo Duterte is a war criminal!”. A protester held a big cardboard mask depicting Duterte as a vampire.
“This is great news for Filipino people,” anti-Duterte protester Menandro Abanes said of Duterte’s arrest and transfer to the international court. “I’m here to show my appreciation to (the) ICC for doing its job to end impunity.”
Another protester, Mary-Grace Labasan, said: “Actually, he is lucky, because he is experiencing the due process of law compared to the victims who were just being shot and killed without any due process.”
A handful of pro-Duterte protesters also gathered at the court building. “They handed our president to foreigners,” protester Janet Suliman said. “They brought shame to our (country).”
Back home, for families of Philippine drug war victims, Duterte’s arrest revived hopes for justice
“WAR ON DRUGS”
The war on drugs was the signature campaign platform that swept the mercurial Duterte to power in 2016. During his six years in office, 6,200 suspects were killed during anti-drug operations, by the police’s count.
Activists say the real toll was far greater, with many thousands more slum drug users gunned down in mysterious circumstances, some of whom were on community “watch lists” after they signed up for treatment.
Lawyers and academics said the arrest and transfer were “a big moment” for the ICC, which is targeted by U.S. sanctions and does not have any police of its own to arrest people.
“This is an opportunity for the court to show that it can deal with a big case and can have arrests,” said Iva Vukusic, an assistant professor of international history at Utrecht university.
The former president’s daughter Sara Duterte, the country’s vice president, boarded a morning flight to Amsterdam, her office said, but it did not say what she intended to do there or how long she planned to stay in the Netherlands.
Silvestre Bello, a former labour minister and one of the former president’s lawyers, said a legal team would meet to assess options and seek clarity on where Duterte would be taken and whether they would be granted access to him.
Duterte’s youngest daughter, Veronica, plans to file a habeas corpus request with the Philippine Supreme Court to compel the government to bring him back, Salvador Panelo, his former chief legal counsel, said.
The arrest marks a stunning change of fortunes for the influential Duterte family, which formed a formidable alliance with Marcos to help him win a 2022 election by a huge margin.
But Marcos and his vice president have since had a bitter fallout, culminating in Sara Duterte’s impeachment last month by a lower house led by loyalists of Marcos.
His arrest “means that international justice is not just a Western construct. It’s not just a Western idea. It’s universal,” said Gilbert Andres, a lawyer representing families of victims of drug-related killings.
(Additional reporting by Karen Lema, Marta Fiorin, Ardee Napolitano, Charlotte Van Campenhout and Bart H. Meijer; Writing by Ingrid Melander; Editing by Alex Richardson and Angus MacSwan)
