Published: 14:45, March 27, 2025 | Updated: 17:10, March 27, 2025
Philippine Senate panel: "Glaring violations" of ex-President Duterte's rights in ICC arrest
By Xinhua
Philippine Senator Imee Marcos presides over the hearing of the Committee of Foreign Affairs following the International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest of former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte, at the Senate in Pasay, metro Manila on March 20, 2025. (PHOTO / AFP)

MANILA - Philippine Senator Imee Marcos, chair of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, on Thursday said there were "glaring violations" of former President Rodrigo Duterte's rights in the arrest on March 11.

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Marcos released the preliminary findings by the Senate panel at a press conference, saying that the Philippines had no legal obligation to arrest Duterte and turn him over to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague in the Netherlands.

Marcos, an elder sister of Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos, said the initial probe also showed that the Philippine government decided to assist the ICC to arrest Duterte, and that the administration "already started preparations prior to March 11."

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On March 11, Duterte was detained upon his return to Manila from abroad, following an arrest warrant issued by the ICC over his "war on drugs" campaign, a move he has questioned. He was surrendered to the custody of the ICC on March 12 after being flown from Manila to the Netherlands.