It’s been seven years since the International Criminal Court began investigating former Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte and the “war on drugs” in which thousands of people were killed on his watch. 

On March 11, 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 Duterte held to account for his anti-narcotics campaign. 

Here’s 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 centerpiece of his tenure. He’s been accused of vigilante killings using a “death squad” during his time as mayor – allegations which 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 trade.

Mr Duterte said at the time that there were as many as 4 million drug addicts in the Southeast 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 is the No. 1 scourge, with much of it coming from China. 

How did the drug war play out?

Mr Duterte repeatedly told the police during his term that they could “shoot dead” criminals who resisted arrest. These instructions led to thousands of extrajudicial killings by the police of mostly poor drug suspects, according to Amnestly International.

More than 6,000 people lost their lives in the violence during his term as president from 2016 to 2022, according to the Philippines’ drug enforcement agency. Human Rights Watch and local media put ...