ICC Opens Proceedings Against Duterte for War Crimes
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
Duterte's arrest vindicates the ICC and proves international law can hold strongmen accountable when domestic systems fail. The Philippine judiciary had tools to prosecute thousands of extrajudicial killings but never acted, forcing the ICC to step in under complementarity principles. This sends a warning to populist leaders worldwide that impunity has limits and justice eventually prevails.
Establishment-critical narrative
The ICC case against Duterte relies on biased media reports and testimony from admitted murderers given immunity deals, not hard evidence. Three human rights advocates from Romania, Benin and Mexico sit as judges, turning what should be narrow legal inquiry into political theater that drags the Philippines into the mud alongside African genocide cases. This isn't justice, but institutional weakness masquerading as virtue.