Amnesty International on May 14 called on the Philippines to apprehend Sen. Ronald dela Rosa, expressing deep concern over reports that he fled the Senate building to evade an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant.
Amnesty International Philippines executive director Ritz Lee Santos III stated: “We are deeply alarmed at the obstruction of justice and chaotic scenes witnessed at the Philippines Senate… It is hugely concerning that fellow Senators and others appear to have assisted him in evading arrest and in delaying the execution of the arrest warrant—effectively facilitating his escape for now.”
The ICC confirmed on May 11 that it issued an arrest warrant for dela Rosa. The senator is charged as an indirect co-perpetrator of the crime against humanity of systematic murder under Article 7(1)(a) of the Rome Statute, stemming from his connection to former President Rodrigo Duterte’s “war on drugs.”
The warrant against dela Rosa was issued confidentially in November 2025. Rumors subsequently spread that the ICC was building a case against dela Rosa, as well as seven other co-perpetrators of Duterte’s campaign of murder war. Following these reports, dela Rosa disappeared from public view. He re-emerged May 11 to participate in a consequential Senate leadership vote. He apparently fled the chamber after spotting Philippine government agents waiting to arrest him, and spent two days barricaded in the Senate building. The senator escaped the building after gunfire erupted on May 13. No casualties have been reported, but his present whereabouts are now unknown.
The senator, who previously served as chief of the Philippine National Police, is considered a close ally of Duterte. The former president was arrested in March based on an ICC warrantand has had his charges confirmed, thus clearing the way for the opening of the trial process. Duterte is also accused of crimes against humanity stemming from the “war on drugs,” during which death squads were allegedly used in the extrajudicial killing of tens of thousands of suspected narcotics dealers and users since 2016, many of whom were minors.
The specific allegations cited by the dela Rosa arrest warrant are that under his command, “Philippines’ law enforcement, sometimes with the assistance of persons who were not part of the police such as non-police assets and paid hitmen, killed no less than 32 persons—alleged criminals, such as alleged thieves, or people allegedly involved in drug-related activities—at various locations in the Philippines.” While the case focuses on these 32 deaths, the actual toll during dela Rosa’s service in Duterte’s anti-drug drive is believed to number in the thousands.
Human Rights Watch has praised the case against Duterte, stating: “The ICC case reflects the determination of victims and their families to advance justice against all odds and dangers.”
The Philippines was a signatory to the Rome Statute from November 2011 until March 2019, when its withdrawal took effect. Despite the Philippines’ withdrawal from the treaty, the ICC maintains jurisdiction over international crimes committed within the country between November 1, 2011, and March 16, 2019. The charges against dela Rosa concern his time as the chief of the National Police from July 2016 to April 2018.
From JURIST, May 15. Used with permission. Internal links added.
The Duterte case is discussed in our podcast “Trump to The Hague! III”
Photo: Tony Webster via Wikimedia Commons
