Former President Rodrigo Duterte and Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio. (Composite image from file photos)
MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte on Tuesday said her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, was being “forcibly taken” to The Hague due to an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Vice President Duterte called the action a “blatant affront” to the nation’s sovereignty and “an insult to every Filipino who believes in our nation’s independence.”
“Former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte is being denied his fundamental rights. Since he was taken this morning, he has not been brought before any competent judicial authority to assert his rights and to allow him to avail of reliefs provided by law,” Vice President Duterte claimed.
“As I write this, he is being forcibly taken to The Hague tonight. This is not justice. This is oppression and persecution,” she added.
She lambasted the Marcos administration, saying that her father’s arrest showed that the government was “willing to abandon” its citizens and “betray the very essence of our sovereignty and national dignity.”
Former President Duterte was arrested upon his arrival in Manila on Tuesday morning and has been held at the Villamor Airbase since.
The ICC issued the arrest warrant for Duterte for the crimes against humanity he allegedly committed during his administration’s bloody war against drugs.
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The infamous drug war left at least 6,000 people dead, with human rights groups reporting at least 20,000.