Former President Rodrigo Duterte may be immediately transferred to The Hague, Netherlands after he was arrested by the International Police Organization (Interpol) yesterday morning after he landed at NAIA Terminal 3 from Hong Kong.
According to Kristina Conti, Assistant to Counsel of the ICC, anyone arrested under an ICC warrantshould be brought to The Hague as soon as possible.
Conti's statement:
“A person arrested under an ICC warrant should be immediately flown to The Hague, Netherlands.”
Meanwhile, Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo said that the Philippine Embassy in The Hague has not yet received any directives regarding bringing Duterte there for his crimes against humanity case.
Manalo's statement:
“We have to wait and see how the next steps will unfold.”
Manalo also did not comment on the role of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) in the issue, but he noted that there has been no communication between their agency and the ICC since the Philippines withdrew from the Rome Statute.
According to Human Rights Lawyer Neri Colmenares, there are three possible places where Duterte could be imprisoned if he is extradited from the country:
- ICC custody
- In a third-party country
- Directly in The Hague itself
Colmenares explains:
"It is up to the ICC where he will be detained. It is up to them where he will be taken."
