Philippines extradites ex-leader Duterte for ICC trial

Silvestre Bello IIIsecretary

First thing we will do is find out where exactly the former president will be brought so we know where we should go, because he will need legal assistance,

Bello said

Former President Duterte's arrest and transfer to The Hague is a long-overdue victory against impunity that could bring victims and their families a step closer to justice,

said Bryony Lau, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch

This momentous event sends a message to human rights abusers everywhere that one day they could be held to account,

Lau added

His lawyers should endeavor to secure a copy of the ICC charges against him so that they will know why he was ordered to be arrested by the ICC,

Enrile said

True justice... is about accountability, transparency, and the protection of human dignity,

said Kidapawan Bishop Jose Colin Bagaforo

Now that Duterte has been arrested, (President) Ferdinand Marcos Jr. should make sure that he is actually delivered to the ICC for detention and trial,

said the rights alliance Karapatan, calling the arrest "long overdue."

An investigation does not necessarily lead to an arrest warrant. If the prosecutor has enough evidence, it would issue an arrest warrant. This situation will only prove how (the) national state has a critical role in making the arrest possible,

Arie said

Did you know that he wasn't properly served on the charges? He doesn't know what are the charges against him, they were just in the newspapers,

Medialdea said in Filipino

The current legal problem of former President Rodrigo R. Duterte is not caused by Philippine laws. His legal problem is caused by laws enforceable by the International Criminal Court (ICC),

Enrile said in a social media post

So what is the law and what is the crime that I committed? Show to me now the legal basis of my being here,

he said in the video

Enrique Manaloforeign Affairs Secretary

This is a development which is being handled by other agencies, especially the Department of the Interior and Local Government and the Philippine National Police and the Department of Justice."

When asked about Duterte's detention, Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Enrique Manalo said

Mao Ning (diplomat)foreign ministry spokeswoman

China has noticed the relevant news and is closely following the developments,

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told a daily news conference

All events during the investigation are kept secret,

Conti said, noting

Duterte supporters have been calling me and crying. Let us pray for PRRD,

she texted The Manila Times

This happened because of years of struggle to seek justice for the thousands of victims of the so-called war on drugs,

he told The Manila Times

[The ... The subject of the arrest warrant] should be turned over to The Hague so that a formal and public trial can begin there,

she said in an interview on Tuesday

What is the crime I committed? ... I was brought here not on my own volition. It's somebody else's."

In a video released by his family on social media, the former president said

The [Philippine National Police] didn't allow one of his lawyers to meet him at the airport and to question the legal basis for PRRD's arrest,

he said, ... adding a

For years, former president Duterte has claimed that he is ready to face the consequences of his actions. Now is the time for him to prove it,

he added

Today, our own government has surrendered a Filipino citizen — even a former president at that — to foreign powers,

she said