Last week former Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte was arrested on a warrant issued by the International Criminal Court in relation to the deaths of thousands of individuals killed under his regime. This provides a remarkable turnaround for the president who rose to power on a populist tough-on-crime platform who became the first Asian head of state to be charged by the ICC.

Stephen Hill asked Dr. Andrea Chloe Wong of the Institute for Indo-Pacific Affairs about the charges facing the former president based around the violent activities of his ‘war on drugs’ policies.

Image: Shutterstock asset id: 2000543540 MANILA – JUNE 30, 2021: Militant groups flooded the streets of Manila to demand justice for all the victims of extrajudicial killings that happened during the time of President Duterte.

Produced By: Stephen Hill

Featured In Story: Dr Andrea Chloe Wong, Senior Lecturer at the College of International Humanitarian and Development Studies in Miriam College, Philippines.

First aired on The Wire, Wednesday 19 March 2025