Rodrigo Duterte, the former president of the Philippines was arrested after arriving from Hong Kong and taken by the police into custody at the airport in Manila on orders of the International Criminal Court in connection with a crime-against-humanity case filed against him, according to the Philippine government.
The "war on drugs" was the signature campaign policy that swept Duterte to power in 2016 as a maverick, crime-busting mayor, who delivered on promises he made during vitriolic speeches to kill thousands of narcotics dealers.
According to police, 6,200 suspects were killed during anti-drug operations that they say ended in shootouts. But activists say the real toll of the crackdown was far greater, with thousands of slumland drug users, many of whom were included on official "watch lists", killed in mysterious circumstances.
Mr Duterte, 79, who left office in 2022, is a populist firebrand who remains one of the Philippines’ most influential politicians, and he has enjoyed relative immunity despite several accusations against him. Only a handful of people have been convicted in connection with the killings.
Police deny involvement in those killings and reject allegations from rights groups of systematic executions and cover-ups.
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