The arrest of Philippine senator Antonio Trillanes has been ordered by President Rodrigo Duterte while visiting Israel. Trillanes backs an International Criminal Court probe into Duterte's crackdown on drug suspects.
Image: picture alliance/AP Photo/B. Marquez
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Presidential spokesman Harry Roque told reporters in Jerusalem Tuesday that Duterte had revoked a 2010 amnesty given to Trillanes (pictured above) in an executive order published in the Manila Times newspaper.
Trillanes, a former military serviceman turned Duterte detractor and opposition senator, said his expected arrest amounted to "political persecution" and went on to describe Duterte as a "dictator."
"He does not respect institutions. That is why we're like this: ordinary people are killed and critics are jailed," Trillanes said, adding he would not resist or flee.
Amnesty violated?
Philippine Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said Duterte had signed the revocation last week, asserting that Trillanes had failed to comply with amnesty rules set for his alleged involvement in a past failed coup and mutiny.
An arrest of Trillanes would be the second among a vocal Senate minority after Leila de Lima, a former justice secretary held for 18 months.
Both have targeted Duterte over his role in alleged executions by police, both while president and earlier as mayor of Davao on Mindanao island.
Last February, the International Criminal Court (ICC) based in the Netherlands began probing a complaint that accuses Duterte of perpetrating crimes against humanity.
In June, Philippine Catholic bishop Arturo Bastes called the president a "madman" and urged Filipinos to pray for an end to Duterte's "blasphemous utterances and dictatorial tendencies."
Philippines' war on drugs — Remembering the dead
After he came to power, President Duterte unleashed a bloody campaign to fulfil his pledge of wiping out the drug trade in the country. DW spoke to some families who lost their loved ones in this controversial drug war.
Image: Raffy Lerma
Daunting challenge
Mimi Garcia holds the pictures of her son Richard and daughter-in-law Robilyn who were killed by masked vigilantes on motorbikes at their shanty home in Camarin, Caloocan city, on October 7, 2016. She faces the daunting responsibility of taking care of her two grandchildren while being jobless at the same time.
Image: Raffy Lerma
Brutal incidents
Andres Fernandez and his son Wesley rest at an altar inside the family home in Bagong Silang, Caloocan. On October 4, 2016, two armed men in masks went inside the Fernandez home and pointed a gun at Wesley. They made him kneel as Andres tried to help. They responded by shooting at Andres first before killing Wesley.
Image: Raffy Lerma
Suspicious killings
One of the children of alleged pusher Kenneth Trasmano lights a candle during the wake of his father in Manila. Kenneth was killed in a police undercover operation after allegedly fighting back on February 2, 2018. His family and neighbors claim the police forced them to leave their homes and get out of sight, and thereafter heard the gunshots.
Image: Raffy Lerma
Left alone
A child holds the pictures of her deceased father Joseph and grandfather Marcelo. Marcelo was killed in a police operation inside their home on July 22, 2016. Her father was rounded up and taken by the police. His lifeless body was later found "salvaged" along a roadside.
Image: Raffy Lerma
Last message
The picture shows letters written by children who have lost either one of their parents in the drug war, as part of their counselling session at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Camarin, Caloocan city.
Image: Raffy Lerma
Funeral march
Family and friends walk the funeral procession of Rogelio Gilbuena and his common law wife Jenny Royo, who were both found dead (several hours apart) in different locations in Navotas city, Manila. Prior to their death, the couple were taken from their house in Navotas by 10 men who introduced themselves as police.
Image: Raffy Lerma
Remembering the dead
Families of victims of drug-related extrajudicial killings offer flowers to their departed loved ones during the Holy Eucharistic Mass Action in Bagong Silang, Caloocan.
Image: Raffy Lerma
Calling for justice
Her husband Luis and her son, Gabriel, were killed in September 2016. During their burial, she was stoic. The days after she had laid them to rest were different. "I began looking for them and could not stop crying." MA nowadays attends protest rallies calling for a stop to drug-related killings and justice for those who have died. She hides her face as she doesn't want to be identified.
Image: Raffy Lerma
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Laying a wreath to Holocaust dead at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem on Monday, Duterte stood alongside his daughter, Sara, born to his Jewish first wife — after once likening his crime-fighting policy to Hitler's mass murders.
That was in 2016 when he said he would be "happy to slaughter" drug addicts in a similar way to the Nazi leader but then apologized for drawing the comparison.
Israel's government press office said most of Duterte's four-day visit was being kept closed to the media. On Wednesday he departs for neighboring Jordan.
