Former President of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte is now in the International Criminal Court Detention Unit following his arrest in Manila on charges linked to his “war on drugs” in which thousands of purported dealers and users were killed.

He’s been charged with crimes against humanity for his role in the anti-drugs crackdown while he was president from 2016 – 2022. He could become the first Asian former head of state to go on trial at the ICC.

Duterte was arrested at Manila airport on Tuesday and, within hours, was sent off on a chartered jet via Dubai to The Hague, despite his protests and some attempts to get the Supreme Court to intervene.

Why has he been arrested? Our colleague Lian Buan from Rappler explained the background: Local politics are part of the story – the current president and vice-president have fallen out. The VP is Duterte’s daughter. The president, Bongbong Marcos, had initially refused to cooperate with the ICC investigation, but as his relationship with the Duterte family has deteriorated, he changed his point of view. The ICC handover is the latest twist in the political saga. Sara Duterte, the vice-president has arrived to support her father in the Netherlands. According to the schedule she provided the media she is looking for a lawyer for him.

The ICC’s Office of the Prosecutor welcomed the arrest and said it “thank[s] all the victims, survivors, witnesses and activists from the Philippines who have stepped forward to cooperate in the Office’s investigation. Their strength, courage, and perseverance make these significant developments possible”.