Why Duterte was arrested for his war on drugs and what s next

It has been seven years since the International Criminal Court (ICC) began investigating former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte and the “war on drugs” in which thousands of people were killed on his watch.

On March 11, the police acting upon a warrant from Interpol arrested the firebrand politician at Manila’s airport, in a victory for human rights campaigners who want to see the 79-year-old held to account for his anti-narcotics campaign.

Here is more on Mr Duterte’s bloody drug war and what comes next after his arrest.

How did the war on drugs begin?

While he was president, Mr Duterte was frequently referred to as the Donald Trump of Asia for his radical leadership style and fiery manner of public speaking.

Before assuming the country’s top post, he gained national attention as mayor of the southern city of Davao, where he made public safety and a crackdown on illegal drugs the centrepiece of his tenure.

He has been accused of vigilante killings using a “death squad” during his time as mayor – allegations that he said were fabricated.

As a candidate in the 2016 presidential race, he campaigned on the same priorities, portraying narcotics use as a national epidemic and promising to stamp out illegal drugs within six months of being elected. He accused critics of valuing the lives of criminals over the good of society.

His campaign targeted drug lords, dealers, users – anyone connected to the illegal drug trade.

Mr Duterte said at the time that there were as many as four million drug addicts in the South-east Asian nation of about 100 million people. The government’s Dangerous Drugs Board put the tally at 1.8 million.

Crystal methamphetamine, known locally as shabu, was at the time the No. 1 scourge, with much of it coming from China.