Duterte's arrest proves the ICC still has teeth when domestic courts refuse to act. Philippine prosecutors had every legal tool to try him for thousands of drug war killings and did nothing for years, so an international court stepping in is exactly how the system is supposed to work. Strongmen who thought impunity was permanent should take notes.
The Philippines walked away from the Rome Statute, and consent is the entire foundation of international law. A mere preliminary examination was all that existed before withdrawal took effect, and treating that as grounds for permanent jurisdiction turns a voluntary treaty into an inescapable supranational authority. Handing over a former president to a court with no elected officials is a surrender of sovereignty.
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