Rodrigo Duterte, the pugnacious former president of the Philippines, was arrested at Manila airport on Tuesday under an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant accusing him of being complicit in crimes against humanity for a yearslong campaign targeting alleged drug dealers.

Thousands of people were killed during the so-called war on drugs, in many cases shot in the streets by unidentified "vigilantes" or by police in what Human Rights Watch (HRW) in 2017 called "death-squad-style extrajudicial executions."

Jasmin Lorch, from the German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS), told DW that the arrest warrant is an "important victory," especially for human rights organizations that have "faced great political and social hostility" in opposing Duterte's policies.

"Duterte was actually very popular during his time in power and still is to some extent today," she said.

"At a time when international law is being undermined and broken in so many places, Duterte's arrest can also send a positive signal that international jurisdiction and international human rights protection still count for something," Lorch added.

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Duterte first gained political notoriety as the hard-line mayor of Davao City, a commercial hub on the southern Philippine island of Mindanao, for his heavy-handed policies.

Nicknamed "the punisher," Duterte had warned during his presidential campaign that the Philippines could become a narcostate. He promised to solve the drug problem within six months and vowed to kill tens of thousands of criminals.

"Forget the laws on human rights. If I make it to the........

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