MANILA -- The arrest of former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on a warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC) has made headlines worldwide.

Duterte, 79, is facing a charge of "the crime against humanity of murder" for the crackdown in which rights groups estimate tens of thousands of mostly poor men were killed by officers and vigilantes, often without proof they were linked to drugs.

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CNN noted that during his time in office, Duterte presided over a sweeping and brutal anti-drugs crackdown that killed more than 6,000 people, according to police data, though independent monitors believe the number of extrajudicial killings could be much higher.

American news website NBC also noted that Duterte’s unannounced trip to Hong Kong, which is also not a member of the court, had raised speculation that he might be trying to evade arrest. 

The New York Times noted that the ICC saw the killings allegedly ordered by Duterte as “both widespread and systematic.”

The BBC also noted that the President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. initially refused to co-operate with the ICC investigation, but changed his stance as his relationship with the Duterte family deteriorated.

Other international news websites Bloomberg and France24 also reported about the arrest. 

News wire AP and Reuters also wrote about the arrest.

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