DOJ: Duterte arrest for ICC drug war case followed protocols
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Wednesday maintained that the arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte followed protocols which ensured due process and the protection of his rights.
The DOJ made the pronouncement a day after Duterte was arrested and sent to the ICC in The Hague, Netherlands.
The DOJ said Duterte’s arrest was conducted “in a peaceful and orderly manner.”
“There were no incidents of resistance or disorder during the process, demonstrating the professionalism of our law enforcement agencies and the commitment to upholding due process,” DOJ spokesperson Mico Clavano said in a statement.
“The former President was treated in accordance with the law, and all procedural safeguards were observed to protect his rights,” he added.
Clavano also assured the public that after Duterte’s arrest, DOJ prosecutors were present to observe the process and attest to its legality, ensuring that the arrest complied with local and international standards.
Cooperation with Interpol ‘imperative’
Meanwhile, Clavano also stressed that the country remains a member state of the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol), adding that Filipino law enforcement agents acted on the arrest as a “matter of comity and mutual cooperation in the international community.”
“Interpol has played a crucial role in many cases pursued by the DOJ involving subjects who have fled the country in attempts to evade accountability,” said Clavano in the same statement.
“It is through Interpol that we are able to solve crime on a global scale – a trend that the Philippines has fallen victim to in many ways. Thus, cooperation with Interpol is imperative,” he added.
Clavano also cited Section 17 of Republic Act No. 9851, or “the Philippine Act on Crimes Against International Humanitarian Law, Genocide, and Other Crimes Against Humanity,” which states that the country may surrender suspected or accused persons in the Philippines to the appropriate international court for crimes punished by the said law, including crimes against humanity.
The DOJ’s remarks aligned with the previous explanation of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr., who stated that while the government does not recognize itself to be a part of the ICC’s jurisdiction, the Philippines has to comply with its commitments to the Interpol.
Duterte was arrested and sent to the ICC amid an arrest warrant against him for the crimes against humanity he allegedly committed during his administration’s bloody war against drugs.
