Philippines: Türk Says Arrest Of Former President Duterte Is Important Step Toward Accountability

GENEVA (12 March 2025) – UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk today welcomed the announcement by the International Criminal Court that it had taken into custody former Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte, who is charged with a series of murders amounting to crimes against humanity during campaigns against illegal drugs between 2011 and 2019.

“This is a very important step towards seeking accountability for the thousands of victims of killings and other abuses, as well as their families who have courageously pursued justice,” the High Commissioner said.

“The extremely serious charges against him will now be addressed fairly and independently, in full accordance with the law,” he added.

Türk commended the Philippines Government for its cooperation in implementing the international warrant against Duterte. He also stressed the importance, as Court proceedings move ahead, of protecting victims and witnesses in the Philippines, and preventing reprisals and retribution of any kind against them.

“The so-called war on drugs undertaken under Duterte’s leadership – first in Davao and then across the country – has long been of concern to our Office. We welcome the positive changes in the area of drug policy that the current Government has subsequently pursued,” he added.

A report by the UN Human Rights Office in 2020 found there were credible allegations of widespread and systematic extrajudicial killings in the context of the campaign against illegal drugs, and that there had been near impunity for such violations.

Other UN human rights mechanisms, including the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary and arbitrary killings, also documented extensive and serious human rights violations during this period.

In the 2020 report, mandated by the Human Rights Council, the High Commissioner called on the international community to consider options for international accountability measures, given the absence of clear and measurable outcomes from domestic mechanisms.

“Despite some steps by the Philippines authorities to review and re-open past cases, only a handful of cases so far have resulted in convictions,” Türk said. “The ICC proceedings now open a path towards addressing such impunity, at the highest levels, and shedding light on the widespread and systematic nature of these crimes.”

“Our international legal frameworks and institutions, including the ICC, are fundamental to ensuring justice and achieving accountability for the most serious crimes, preventing future violations, and making the world safer for everyone.”

The High Commissioner also called on the Philippines to rejoin the Rome Statute, from which it withdrew in 2019.

Following publication of the report, the UN Human Rights Office supported the Government of Philippines through a UN Joint Programme on human rights to strengthen domestic accountability mechanisms and adopt human rights-based approaches to drug control, which concluded in August 2024.

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