The arrest of former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte at Manila airport this morning after an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant is a critical step towards accountability for land and environmental defenders, and the victims and families subjected to his deadly war on drugs.
Duterte stands accused of crimes against humanity over the tens of thousands of extrajudicial killings carried out during his political career, including his tenure as Mayor of Davao and later as President of the Philippines, from 2016 to 2022.
Global Witness says his brutal anti-drug campaign fostered a culture of impunity and fear, emboldening those in positions of power to use violence against anyone they deemed an obstacle or threat. This has left land and environmental defenders, anti-corruption activists, and marginalised communities at ever-greater risk.
Commenting on Duterte’s arrest, Rachel Cox, Senior Asia Campaigner at Global Witness, said:
“This arrest is a huge step towards justice. Duterte’s war on drugs normalised extrajudicial killings of land and environmental defenders – empowering political and economic elites to silence dissent with violence. The ICC’s action sends a powerful message that no one is above the law.
“We stand in solidarity with the families of victims and defenders who have fought tirelessly for accountability.”
Despite the Philippines withdrawing from the ICC in 2019, the Court affirmed its jurisdiction over alleged crimes committed while the country was a member. This moment also presents an opportunity for the Marcos administration to address harmful policies that continue to endanger defenders. The Duterte-era Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 and the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) have been used to criminalise activists and must be urgently revisited.
The military has been linked to the highest number of killings and detentions of land and environmental defenders in the last decade, according to according to a Global Witness investigation published in December 2024. It found that the government’s push to expand critical minerals mining in the country is putting frontline communities, especially Indigenous Peoples, at risk of militarisation and violence.
Cox added: “We call on the Philippine government to ensure that justice extends beyond Duterte’s arrest, by dismantling the policies that continue to put defenders at risk.
“The international community must remain vigilant, ensuring that accountability is fully realised for all those affected by Duterte’s harmful legacy of violence.”
Between 2012 and 2023, 298 land and environmental defenders were killed or disappeared in the Philippines, according to Global Witness reports, making it the most dangerous country in Asia for defenders. Over 65% (195/298) of documented cases from 2012 to 2023 took place during Duterte’s six-year presidency, which saw record levels of violence against defenders in the country.
Among those killed in the first year of Duterte’s presidency alone were defenders Gloria Capitan, Renato Anglao, and Jimmy Saypan, all murdered by hitmen on motorbikes – an all-too-common modus operandi used in his drug war. By 2018, the Philippines was home to highest number of defender killings in the world.