ICC Exposes Arrest Warrant for Philippine Senator, Implicated in Duterte's Drug War for 'Crimes Against Humanity'
The International Criminal Court (ICC) revealed the content of an arrest warrant for Philippine Senator Ronald Dela Rosa, accusing him of 'crimes against humanity' during former President Duterte's controversial war on drugs. The warrant was secretly issued in November 2025.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: May 12, 2026 at 12:32
- 🔍 Collected: May 12, 2026 at 13:02 (29 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: May 13, 2026 at 06:01 (16h 59m after Collected)
Central News Agency
(Manila, May 12, CNA Reporter Lin Hsing-chien) The International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands, publicly released the contents of an arrest warrant issued for former Philippine National Police Chief and current Senator Ronald Dela Rosa late last night. He is accused of committing 'crimes against humanity' during the controversial anti-drug war.
A former Philippine senator first disclosed Dela Rosa's arrest warrant to the media yesterday. Following the exposure, the ICC officially published the warrant's contents on its website late last night.
The ICC explained that the pre-trial chamber had secretly issued the arrest warrant on November 6, 2025, but decided to declassify the document due to 'changes in circumstances.'
Dela Rosa suddenly disappeared in November 2025 and reappeared only yesterday to vote in the Senate Speaker election, where the Senate provided protection based on the constitution and sovereign immunity. The election of the Senate Speaker is crucial for the future direction of the impeachment case against incumbent Vice President Sara Duterte, daughter of former President Duterte.
According to the ICC, prosecutors have 'reasonable grounds' to believe that Dela Rosa, as an 'indirect co-perpetrator,' participated in the 'war on drugs' during Rodrigo Duterte's tenure as Mayor of Davao City and President of the Philippines, committing 'crimes against humanity.'
Duterte strongly promoted the war on drugs during his terms as Davao Mayor and Philippine President. Dela Rosa successively served as Davao City Police Chief, Philippine National Police Chief, and Director of the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) during this period.
Human rights groups accused thousands of people of being subjected to 'extrajudicial killings' in the anti-drug operations, leading to Duterte's prosecution before the ICC after he left office. In March 2025, Duterte was arrested by Philippine police at Manila International Airport with an ICC arrest warrant and taken to the ICC for trial.
Despite this, Duterte was elected Mayor of Davao in the May 2025 mid-term elections. Dela Rosa, meanwhile, had successfully run for Senator in 2019 and was re-elected in May 2025 with the third-highest number of votes, with his legal term extending until 2031. (Editor: Chen Hui-ping) 1150512
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(Manila, May 12, CNA Reporter Lin Hsing-chien) The International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands, publicly released the contents of an arrest warrant issued for former Philippine National Police Chief and current Senator Ronald Dela Rosa late last night. He is accused of committing 'crimes against humanity' during the controversial anti-drug war.
A former Philippine senator first disclosed Dela Rosa's arrest warrant to the media yesterday. Following the exposure, the ICC officially published the warrant's contents on its website late last night.
The ICC explained that the pre-trial chamber had secretly issued the arrest warrant on November 6, 2025, but decided to declassify the document due to 'changes in circumstances.'
Dela Rosa suddenly disappeared in November 2025 and reappeared only yesterday to vote in the Senate Speaker election, where the Senate provided protection based on the constitution and sovereign immunity. The election of the Senate Speaker is crucial for the future direction of the impeachment case against incumbent Vice President Sara Duterte, daughter of former President Duterte.
According to the ICC, prosecutors have 'reasonable grounds' to believe that Dela Rosa, as an 'indirect co-perpetrator,' participated in the 'war on drugs' during Rodrigo Duterte's tenure as Mayor of Davao City and President of the Philippines, committing 'crimes against humanity.'
Duterte strongly promoted the war on drugs during his terms as Davao Mayor and Philippine President. Dela Rosa successively served as Davao City Police Chief, Philippine National Police Chief, and Director of the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) during this period.
Human rights groups accused thousands of people of being subjected to 'extrajudicial killings' in the anti-drug operations, leading to Duterte's prosecution before the ICC after he left office. In March 2025, Duterte was arrested by Philippine police at Manila International Airport with an ICC arrest warrant and taken to the ICC for trial.
Despite this, Duterte was elected Mayor of Davao in the May 2025 mid-term elections. Dela Rosa, meanwhile, had successfully run for Senator in 2019 and was re-elected in May 2025 with the third-highest number of votes, with his legal term extending until 2031. (Editor: Chen Hui-ping) 1150512
Stand with the facts, every sponsorship you provide is a force to protect press freedom.
Download the CNA 'First-Hand News' APP to stay updated with the latest news.
Text, images, and audio/video on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, or publicly transmitted and used without authorization.