Drug war docu ‘Aswang’ to be streamed online for free following Rodrigo Duterte’s arrest

MANILA, Philippines – Aswang, a 2019 documentary about Rodrigo Duterte’s deadly war on drugs, will be streamed online for free following the former president’s arrest on Tuesday, March 11.

Human rights education institution Active Vista announced on its social media pages that Aswang, directed by Alyx Arumpac, will be available for free streaming through this link from March 11 to 18.

“With Duterte’s arrest, the fight for justice is far from over. Our duty remains clear: to keep telling the victims’ stories and demand accountability for his crimes against humanity,” Active Vista wrote.

Aswang recounts the first two years of Duterte’s deadly war on drugs. The documentary’s official description says that it “follows people whose lives entwine with the growing violence.”

Official government data shows that at least 6,252 suspected drug pushers and drug users were killed from 2016 to 2022. This number, however, does not include victims of vigilante-style killings, which human rights groups say is much higher — between 27,000 to 30,000.

Duterte was arrested at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 (NAIA 3) after his Hong Kong trip following a warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for his crimes against humanity.

This makes him the first-ever former Philippine head of state to be arrested over a warrant issued by an international tribunal.

Informed sources told Rappler that the warrant for his arrest was believed to have been issued on the morning of March 8. The whole arrest warrant has since been made available to the public and can be viewed here.

The ex-president is headed to Hague in the Netherlands to face the ICC. – Rappler.com