The first night of Philippines Duterte in a jail cell is a crucial time for the ICC

Outside the detention center of the International Criminal Court (ICC), where the former president of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, was taken on Wednesday, his supporters gathered, shaking national flags and shouting: “Tract it back!” As it was conducted through the imposing iron doors at speed.

Shortly before landing in the Netherlands, the 79 -year -old defended his bloody “war on drugs” without apologies for which the ICC says that there are “reasonable reasons” to accuse him of murder as a crime against humanity.

Little -mount drug traffickers, users and others were killed without judgment under their surveillance as mayor and, later, as president.

The official toll is 6,000, although activists believe that the real figure could reach tens of thousands.

Duterte said he took energetic measures against drug traffickers to free the country from street crimes.

However, the rights groups claim that the campaign was plagued by police abuse, aimed at young men of the urban poor.

Duterte is the first former Asian head of state who is accused of the ICC, and the first suspect to be transferred to The Hague in three years.

And his arrival reaches a crucial moment for the International Criminal Court.

Rodrigo Duterte’s arrest and deportation on Monday was the result of an unprecedented chain of events.

Its supporters claim that the ICC is being used as a political tool by the current president of the country, Ferdinand Marcos, who has fallen publicly with the powerful Duterte family.

The CPI is a last resort court designed to have the most powerful for accounts when the national courts cannot or do not want to do so. But this case is a reminder of the extent to which it depends on state cooperation to fulfill its mandate: it effectively has no power to stop people without the cooperation of the countries in which they are, which are most often rejected.

In the case of Duterte, the possibilities that he was once prosecuted by the ICC seemed unthinkable even in 2022, when her daughter, vice president Sara Duterte, allied with Marcos to create the powerful “Unito” that swept parliamentary elections.

Until a few months ago, Marcos had ruled out the idea of ​​cooperating with the ICC.

But the rhythm to which Duterte received an arrest and extradited order shows that when political winds change, those that are once considered untouchable can be demolished in The Hague.

The entire process of his extradition, from his arrest in Manila until his arrival in The Hague, has been documented on social networks by his daughter Kitty and the Duterte himself through his assistant. His plane was the most tracked on the flight radar.

“It is I who directed our application of the law and military. I said that I will protect you and be responsible for all this,” he said in a Facebook video, one of the many that was shared for more than 24 hours during his manila trip to The Hague.

He provided a rare vision of what is generally an opaque process, and the world was able to follow, sometimes in real time, in each step to the meals that Duterte received on board his rented plane.

Duterte’s arrest now sends a strong sign that even powerful people can be responsible for their actions, which potentially deter future abuses.

His case has also revived the debate on the role of the CPI in relation to national sovereignty, a concern often raised by non -member states such as the United States, Russia and China.

The court depends on its 128 members to finance and be the operational arm of this judicial body.

Then, the arrival of the head of Duterte, followed by his first night in a cell in the prison in The Hague, offers the court a very necessary victory.

After complying with two high -profile arrest orders, one for Russian President Vladimir Putin, and another for Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, about the war in Gaza, which is unlikely to apply soon, the arrival of Duterte will be presented as proof that the court is capable of taking the accused of gravity to the attorities to justice.

It is a fire test for the CPI’s ability to function effectively in an increasingly polarized climate.

The CPI prosecutor, Karim Khan, was recently sanctioned by Donald Trump on the arrest warrant issued for Benjamin Netanyahu.

Duterte’s arrest provides a powerful response.

“Many say that international law is not strong,” Karim Khan acknowledged. “But international law is not as weak as some may think. When we join, when we build associations, the rule of law can prevail.”

The former president of the Philippines will now mark his birthday this month at the CPI detention center, located in the Hague Dunes.

The installation, once a complex of the Nazi prison, provides each detainee a private cell, access to computers, a library and sports facilities.

If you are not satisfied with the meals provided, Duterte has the option of preparing your own food using a shopping list in the kitchen of the detention center. You will also have access to medical care, lawyers and visitors.

It is expected to make its initial appearance in court in the next few days, where you will confirm your identity, you will choose the language in which you want to follow the procedures and recognize the charges against you.

After this public appearance, a confirmation of the Office Hearing will continue, during which the judges will decide if the Prosecutor’s Office has presented a sufficient amount of evidence to proceed to trial.

If the charges are confirmed, they could spend many months before it is finally judged, and years before a final judgment.