The chief enforcer of former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s deadly “war on drugs” campaign has taken refuge in the country’s parliament after the International Criminal Court (ICC) unsealed a warrant for his arrest on suspicion of crimes against humanity.
In a statement yesterday, The Hague-based court confirmed that it had issued a warrant for the arrest of Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa on November 6, which has since been held under seal.
The ICC Pre-Trial Chamber I “found reasonable grounds to believe that Mr Dela Rosa is allegedly criminally responsible as an indirect co-perpetrator… for the crime against humanity of murder,” the court said.
Just hours before the ICC confirmed the warrant, Dela Rosa fled into the Senate building, with officers from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in hot pursuit, and locked himself in his office. Former Senator Antonio Trillanes, who has led multiple investigations into Duterte’s anti-drug campaign, later told reporters that the NBI personnel were attempting to enforce an ICC warrant.
Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano, an ally of Duterte who was appointed to the position just hours before the stand-off over Dela Rosa’s arrest, later told the press that the 64-year-old had been placed under the Senate’s protection, Inquirer.net reported.
