THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The International Criminal Court unsealed Monday an arrest warrant for a prominent Philippine senator linked to the deadly “war on drugs” overseen by ex-President Rodrigo Duterte, which allegedly involved the extrajudicial killings of suspects.
The warrant, originally issued confidentially in November, charges Ronald Marapon dela Rosa, a former Philippine national police chief and a Duterte ally, with the crime against humanity of murder of “no less than 32 persons" allegedly committed between July 2016 and the end of April 2018.
Duterte, dela Rosa and other police officials have denied authorizing the killings of drug suspects, who, they said, were shot dead after allegedly threatening law enforcers. Duterte openly and repeatedly threatened drug suspects with death while in office.
The warrant said judges decided after studying evidence submitted by prosecutors that dela Rosa "made essential contributions to committing the alleged crime” of murder and listed him as an “indirect co-perpetrator.”
Dela Rosa appeared unexpectedly in the Philippines Senate on Monday after being summoned as part of a new investigation into the alleged extrajudicial killings. National Bureau of Investigation officers tried to run after dela Rosa as he entered the Senate, but failed to reach him as he dashed into the plenary hall and sought the protection of fellow senators.
Former Philippines Senator Antonio Trillanes showed the warrant to the media in Manila on Monday, and the ICC confirmed its authenticity.
Dela Rosa once served as the national police chief under Duterte, and was the first to enforce the bloody campaign against illegal drugs that left thousands of mostly petty suspects dead. Philippine police officials have summoned dela Rosa to appear before them for an investigation into his role in the Duterte-era killings.
Maria Elena Vignoli, senior international justice counsel at Human Rights Watch, welcomed the warrant, calling it “another blow to the wall of impunity protecting those who allegedly committed atrocities during the Philippines’ murderous ‘drug war.'”
She called on Philippine authorities to swiftly detain dela Rosa and send him to the court in The Hague.
Duterte was arrested in March last year and detained in the Netherlands on charges of crimes against humanity. The charges are also linked to deadly anti-drugs crackdowns he ordered while he was in office. He denies the charges, but judges have ruled that there is enough evidence to warrant his standing trial. No date has been set for the case to start and Duterte has skipped several court hearings due to ill health.
The thousands of killings of mostly impoverished drug suspects took place when Duterte was mayor of the southern city of Davao and after he became president in 2016. The killings during police raids alarmed human rights groups and Western governments, led by the United States.
FILE - Policemen check the gun recovered from one of two unidentified drug suspects after they were shot dead by police while trying to evade a checkpoint in Quezon city, north of Manila, Philippines, Sept. 6, 2016. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila, File)
PARIS (AP) — French authorities expressed relief Sunday after mass protests over rising living costs resulted in less violence than previous weekends. But police expect new demonstrations as high schools at the heart of the movement reopen Monday after their autumn break.
Germany faced its own challenges after nationwide protests Saturday ended with rioters attacking police and looting stores in some cities. Around Europe, hundreds of thousands joined overwhelmingly peaceful marches Saturday inspired by young people, despite scattered unrest.
In Paris, rioters targeted police with Molotov cocktails at the end of Saturday’s march on the city’s eastern edge, injuring three officers and setting a car ablaze, police said. Across town, masked groups hurled fireworks at officers at a viewpoint across from the Eiffel Tower, and police charged repeatedly, sending panicked tourists fleeing the area.
Overall, however, the violence was less severe than on Oct. 17, when a city hall was torched and more than 2,000 stores were looted in hours of violence that authorities seemed unprepared to control, or during follow-up protests Oct. 24.
Police had arrested 779 people as of Saturday night, compared with 2,628 on Oct. 17 and 1,314 last weekend. Paris and Marseille police said a handful of shops were targeted but no major damage was reported.
A national police official said Sunday authorities had prepared for a larger turnout of both peaceful marchers and troublemakers. About 70,000 police were deployed around the country.
Police are preparing for more tensions as schools reopen Monday and as student groups and labor unions call for new nationwide protests on Tuesday and Thursday, the official told The Associated Press. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to be publicly named according to police policy.
More than 100,000 mostly young people protested peacefully across Germany on Saturday, demanding that the government invest more money in education, housing, climate protection and make daily life more affordable. In some cities the protests turned violent at night.
Following a demonstration in Frankfurt, rioters attacked police downtown and looted stores. More than 100 officers were injured and 54 people — aged 13 to 29 — were detained. It wasn't clear how many of the protesters were injured. Police said 17 stores were damaged and five of those were looted. After police cordoned off an area in the city center, the situation calmed down by early Sunday morning.
“I am shocked by the violent excesses in Frankfurt, which will not go unpunished,” said Boris Rhein, the governor of Hesse, where Frankfurt is located. “Anyone who behaves like the attackers in downtown Frankfurt places themselves outside our society.''
Violence also broke out Saturday night in Cologne, where police used water cannons to disperse the crowd. In Berlin, protesters attacked police with bottles and pyrotechnics.
The organizers of Saturday’s protests, a youth initiative called “Gen Z regelt” — roughly “Gen Z’s got this" — posted a statement on Instagram distancing itself from “any form of violence, as well as violent acts by other groups or individuals” who were not part of the demonstrations.
German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt accused “violent left-wing groups and troublemakers from the immigrant community'' of hijacking peaceful demonstrations. “The rioters and looters will be identified and held accountable,'' Dobrindt told daily paper Bild on Sunday.
In Portugal, riot police overnight removed protesters by force from a square in Lisbon following protests for more affordable housing. Thousands of people marched through the city during the day and at the end a few hundred camped out in Rossio, an iconic square in downtown Lisbon. Police intervened early Sunday, removing tents and pushing people away, and a few were detained.
Portuguese demonstrators have been protesting for weeks following inspiration from the Spanish movement to call out rising living costs, especially housing costs.
Grieshaber reported from Berlin. Helena Alves in Lisbon, Portugal, contributed to this report.
Protesters march during a demonstration against rising living costs in Paris, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)
Protestors carry a banner with the words "We don't have houses, the tents stay" during a demonstration to demand affordable housing, in downtown Lisbon, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)
Demonstrators attend a protest under the slogan "Gen Z Takes Care of It" in Berlin, Germany, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
The smashed window of a jewellery is seen in Frankfurt, Germany, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026, the day after a group of people went on rampage after a protest march under the slogan "Gen Z Takes Care of It" . (AP Photo/Michael Probst)
A car is on fire during protests over living costs and education in Paris, France, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Emma Da Silva)
