Philippines vows to hand fugitive senator to ICC following shootout
Summary
The Philippines has agreed to cooperate with the International Criminal Court (ICC) to hand over Senator Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa, who is wanted on charges related to crimes against humanity. Dela Rosa, a former police chief linked to the country’s drug war, evaded arrest at the Senate building after a gunfire incident and is currently a fugitive.Key Facts
- The ICC issued an arrest warrant for Senator Ronald dela Rosa over alleged crimes linked to the Philippines’ drug war.
- Dela Rosa was the former national police chief and led efforts in President Duterte’s drug campaign from 2016 to 2019.
- The Philippines’ Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida said the country considers the ICC warrant valid and will comply with the request.
- Dela Rosa disappeared from public view after the ICC announced the warrant but recently tried to vote in a Senate leadership contest.
- When authorities tried to arrest him at the Senate, gunshots were fired, but it’s unclear who fired them.
- The Senate president confirmed dela Rosa left the Senate building, but his current location is unknown.
- Filipino officials warned that anyone helping dela Rosa flee the country would face legal consequences.
- Dela Rosa denies involvement in extrajudicial killings and plans to use all legal options to avoid transfer to the ICC.
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