Duterte orders arrest of Philippine Senator Antonio Trillanes, an outspoken critic
Trillanes has repeatedly accused Duterte of asset concealment and backs complaints lodged with the International Criminal Court over the alleged murders of criminals and drug dealers
Senator Antonio Trillanes, Duterte’s most vocal opponent, has repeatedly accused the president of asset concealment and backs complaints lodged with the International Criminal Court (ICC) seeking his indictment over the alleged murders of thousands of criminals and drug dealers.
Trillanes condemned Duterte’s move as illegal and draconian but added that he would not resist arrest. After being advised that Senate leaders would not allow his arrest in the Senate, Trillanes said he would heed their advice and stay within the building in a looming stand-off.
“We’re living basically in a de facto martial law environment of the ‘70s kind,” Trillanes told a throng of journalists and followers, referring to the martial law declared by dictator Ferdinand Marcos in 1972, which is regarded as a dark chapter in Philippine history.
Some opposition politicians visited the Senate to show support for Trillanes, a 47-year-old former navy officer who was detained for several years before his election to the Senate for involvement in at least three military uprisings from 2003 to 2007 to protest official corruption.
