Duterte faces crimes against humanity charges. An end to impunity?

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When former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte was arrested Tuesday and flown to the International Criminal Court at The Hague, his most prominent critic felt a glimmer of hope.

Maria Ressa, a journalist and co-founder of one of the Philippines’ top news outlets, came under constant attack for her work documenting the human rights abuses that soiled Mr. Duterte’s presidency. Activists estimate his bloody war on drugs killed as many as 30,000 people.

The International Criminal Court warrant accuses the former president of murder as a crime against humanity. Mr. Duterte, who finished his presidential term in 2022, is being held in detention at The Hague after a tense arrest in Manila, Philippines, last week.

Why We Wrote This

Journalist Maria Ressa reported on death squads that operated under former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte. Now she sees hope – and accountability – as he faces charges of crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court.

“It took almost a decade,” says Ms. Ressa, speaking to the Monitor on a video call. The arrest is a “reminder to the rest of the world that impunity ends, and accountability starts at some point. It will come for you sooner or later.”

Relatives grieve during an interment ceremony for victims of extrajudicial killings during the rule of former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte.

At a time when facts have become a political battleground, she and her team have fought tirelessly to be able to tell the truth.

Making waves

Born in the Philippines and raised since age 10 in New Jersey, Ms. Ressa returned to her homeland on a Fulbright scholarship in the 1980s. She arrived shortly after the People Power Revolution, a series of protests that ousted former dictator Ferdinand Marcos.

Her career as a journalist began at local television stations. She made a name for herself as an investigative journalist and bureau chief for CNN in Manila and in Jakarta, Indonesia, and became an expert on Islamist terrorist groups in Southeast Asia.



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