Asia · 11 May, 2026 · 3 min read
Rodrigo Duterte Faces International Justice Over Philippines Death Squads, Le Temps Says
ICC accuses Duterte of crimes against humanity for drug-war killings. Duterte publicly admitted personally killing criminals during his Davao mayoralty.
Whether the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Bato dela Rosa.
8 of 9 outlets skipped it: DILG mobilized a 10,000-cop “dragnet” scenario..
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It shifts the story from international arrest certainty to domestic investigation.
Davao death squads
In Davao, Mindanao, the Le Temps article describes “les escadrons de la mort,” commandos “aperçus à motos chargés d’exécuter les petits délinquants de Davao,” and it says that Clarita Alia, 62 ans, is the only victim to testify à visage découvert against them. The same article recounts that Clarita Alia said, “Un jour, la police m’a menacée: nous aurons vos fils un par un,” before the murders of her sons Richard and Christopher, and it adds that four fils Alia are morts assassinés entre 2001 et 2007.
Le Temps also reports that a 2009 Human Rights Watch report revealed links between police and the death squads, including “utilisation du même calibre” and “existence d’une liste au niveau des quartiers des cibles à abattre.” It further states that Rodrigo Duterte, mayor since twenty years and due to swear in as president on 30 juin, has repeatedly said “Tuez-les tous” and threatened to “noyer” in the baie de Manille, while denying any implication after earlier remarks about “cibles légitimes.”
ICC and subpoenas
In the Philippines, the Inquirer.net article says the International Criminal Court (ICC) has not issued new arrest warrants in relation to the drug war killings under the Duterte administration, and it quotes ICC spokesperson Oriane Maillet: “No public arrest warrants have been issued in relation to the situation in the Philippines.” IIn the same Inquirer.net report, Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jonvic Remulla says his department was preparing a 10,000-strong task force for possible “dragnet” operations, adding, “We are forming it,” as the “unverified info just arrived this morning.”I
Mindanao Times reports that the PNP-CIDG is set to issue a subpoena on Monday, May 11, 2026, against Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, and it quotes Remulla clarifying, “I repeat, this is not an arrest warrant but a subpoena.” MMindanao Times also says Remulla revealed that, according to government intelligence, Dela Rosa is currently in the Davao Region, and it adds that PNP Chief Nartatez confirmed the summons is part of a broader effort to identify and question key personalities linked to the drug war.M
Preliminary hearings and risk
In The Hague, L’actualité reports that prosecutors told judges at the ICC that former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte incited death squads to carry out extrajudicial killings by using fear and financial rewards, and it quotes Deputy Prosecutor Mame Mandiaye Niang saying, “For some, killing has reached the level of a perverse form of competition.” The same L’actualité article says the Hague court is holding preliminary hearings for Duterte, charged with three counts of crimes against humanity for the deadly anti-drug crackdowns he oversaw during his term, and it states that judges have 60 days to decide whether evidence justifies a trial.
L’actualité adds that Duterte “firmly defends his legacy and unreservedly proclaims his innocence,” and it quotes lead defense attorney Nick Kaufman saying the prosecution selected examples of Duterte’s “grandiloquent rhetoric,” while Duterte called the allegations a “boldfaced lie.” In the Philippines, L’actualité reports that activists organized a demonstration in the Greater Manila Area where Randy delos Santos said, “We hope that the ICC, even though it is thousands of kilometers away, will finally deliver justice to all these families,” after his 17-year-old nephew was shot and killed by three police officers during a suspected anti-drug operation in August 2017.