Former Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte was forcibly placed on a plane to The Hague after his dramatic arrest on an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant, his daughter and Vice President Sara Duterte said on Tuesday.
“They are taking him out on a plane by force without considering his health conditions,” Sara Duterte wrote on Instagram.
She also told the Philippine Star that her father was being transported to The Hague, calling the move “oppression and persecution.”
Duterte, 79, was detained at Manila’s main airport upon his return from Hong Kong. He faces charges of crimes against humanity over his controversial anti-drug campaign, which resulted in over 6,000 deaths according to police records. Independent watchdogs, however, estimate the actual toll is much higher, citing widespread extrajudicial killings.
Duterte’s crackdown on drug-related crimes was a defining feature of his presidency, drawing international condemnation but maintaining strong support from his base. His transfer to The Hague marks a significant step in the ICC’s pursuit of accountability for alleged human rights abuses.
