Salvador Santino Regilme in East Asia Forum: 'The Philippines confronts Duterte’s authoritarian legacy at The Hague'
In a newly published article in East Asia Forum (Australian National University), Salvador Santino Regilme, reflects on the global significance of former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte’s arrest and trial at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague.
Duterte is the first Asian leader to be investigated and detained at the ICC for state-led mass violence carried out in the name of narcotics control. Regilme argues that this marks a watershed moment in global justice—signaling that authoritarian leaders can no longer rely on impunity when weaponising state power.
‘Duterte’s detention at the ICC reminds us how militarised drug policy not only fails to dismantle illicit drug networks but also undermines the state’s legitimacy by authorising the systematic violation of citizens’ constitutional right to life and due process,’ he writes. But while the ICC trial is historic, Regilme stresses that it cannot, on its own, dismantle the entrenched culture of impunity in the Philippines. Lasting accountability, he argues, depends on deep domestic reforms, from strengthening judicial independence to professionalising law enforcement and embedding human rights education in public policy.
The article is among the first peer-reviewed publications to appear since Duterte’s detention at The Hague.
Want to know more?
Find the full article on the website of East Asia Forum.