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Philippines ex-President Rodrigo Duterte arrested on ICC warrant
The office of the President of the Philippines has reported the arrest of the country’s ex-President Rodrigo Duterte after receiving a request from the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Duterte was taken into custody on Tuesday at Manila airport upon his arrival from Hong Kong, according to the Philippine government, which received the ICC request through the international police agency, Interpol.
“Upon his arrival, the prosecutor general served the ICC notification for an arrest warrant to the former president for the crime of crime against humanity,” the government said in a statement. “He’s now in the custody of authorities,” it said.
Duterte is facing allegations of “crimes against humanity” during a brutal anti-drugs drive while he was in office.
The former president’s so-called “war on drugs”, while he was in office from 2016-2022, deprived suspects of “due process under the law”, according to the arrest warrant, and resulted in the deaths of thousands of people, including children.
In a statement, Human Rights Watch (HRW) described Duterte’s arrest as “a critical step for accountability in the Philippines”.
“His arrest could bring victims and their families closer to justice and sends the clear message that no one is above the law. The Marcos government should swiftly surrender him to the ICC,” said Bryony Lau, HRW’s deputy Asia director.
Defending his actions amid reports of his possible arrest, Duterte had previously said that he “did everything…for the Filipino people”. “If it’s really my fate in life, that’s OK, I will accept it. There’s nothing I can do about it. If I’m arrested, if I’m jailed, so be it,” he had said.
Over the course of Duterte’s six-year presidency, more than 7,000 people were killed in official anti-drug operations, according to police records.
However, human rights advocates have claimed that the killings numbered over 30,000, including those who were killed by unknown suspects, some of whom later turned out to be police officers.
[Aljazeera]
Latest News
Cabinet approves aditional Rs. 2,500 million to the Paddy Marketing Board to purchase 2026 Yala harvest
The Cabinet of Ministers has approved the resolution furnished by the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Land and Irrigation to provide an additional Rs. 2,500 million to the Paddy Marketing Board on a reimbursable basis from the Rs. 7,500 million additional allocations granted to the Ministry to implement
the expedited paddy purchasing program for the 2026 Yala harvest.
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Cabinet nod to host the 8th Asian Regional Conference of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and the 3rd Joint Asian and South-East Asian Regional Conference of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association
The 8th Asian Regional Conference of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) and the 3rd Joint Asian and South-East Asian Regional Conference of the CPA are planned to be held over three days in Colombo during April/May 2027.
Approximately 90 delegates including speakers, Deputy Speakers, Member of Parliamentarians, and Parliamentary officers representing member countries of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, in the Asian and South-East Asian regions, are expected to participate in these conferences.
The Cabinet of Ministers has approved the resolution furnished by the Prime Minister of the Parliament of Sri Lanka to host the said conferences considering the opportunities to strengthen parliamentary diplomacy and regional cooperation, as well as to enhance international recognition of the Parliament of Sri Lanka within the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association.
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SAARC Training Workshop on Financial Modeling for Renewable Energy Projects from 5th to 7th October in Colombo
The Energy Centre of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) has planned to conduct a training workshop under the theme ‘Financial Modelling for Renewable Energy Projects’ in Colombo from 2026-10-05 to 2026-10-07.
It is expected that two persons from each member country,
including Sri Lanka, will participate in this workshop. The Energy Centre of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) will provide all local hospitality facilities and transport, excluding airfare.
Taking into consideration the resolution furnished by the Minister of Energy regarding this workshop, which is vitally important for the capacity building of public officers and other related parties regarding project evaluation and financial modeling in the renewable energy sector, the Cabinet of
Ministers has decided to grant its consent to hold this workshop and extend Sri Lanka’s hospitality for this event.
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Cabinet nod to host the 8th Asian Regional Conference of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and the 3rd Joint Asian and South-East Asian Regional Conference of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association
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