Former Senator Leila de Lima has criticized Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, saying he has no right to lecture on human rights and should also be arrested by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for his role in enabling the previous administration’s violent anti-drug campaign.
De Lima’s remarks came after Cayetano posted a video discussing moral decisions and questioning the government’s move to allow former President Rodrigo Duterte’s arrest without exhausting legal options.
“Alan Peter is the last person who should tell human rights defenders what to do regarding Duterte’s arrest,” de Lima said in a video on X. “He has no right to lecture those of us who stood up and fought for Filipinos under his and Duterte’s regime.”
She further accused Cayetano of defending extrajudicial killings, stating that he should be among those charged by the ICC. “He encouraged and justified the deadly operations that led to the summary execution of poor Filipinos under a fake drug war,” she said.
De Lima cited the Rome Statute and Republic Act No. 9851, emphasizing that the Philippine government has the legal option to surrender Duterte to the ICC without court approval.
“If you have a problem with this law, Alan Peter, challenge its constitutionality before the Supreme Court,” she added. “Until then, stop lecturing and complaining.”
Duterte was arrested on March 11 under an ICC warrant for alleged crimes against humanity tied to his administration’s drug war. He was later flown to The Hague for further proceedings.
