Rodrigo Duterte, the former President of the Philippines, takes full responsibility for his role in the deadly “war on drugs” after being arrested by the International Criminal Court on charges of crimes against humanity.
Rodrigo Duterte, the former President of the Philippines, has taken full responsibility for the deadly “war on drugs” in a video message on Facebook following his arrest by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on charges of crimes against humanity.
The video, which has garnered millions of views, shows only Duterte speaking and appears to have been recorded on the plane that transported him to the Netherlands and at the ICC headquarters in The Hague.
“I am the one who led our law enforcement and military. I said that I will protect you and I will be responsible for all of this,” Duterte stated in the video posted on his and a close adviser’s Facebook pages.
“I have been telling the police, the military, that it was my job and I am responsible,” said the 79-year-old, who is set to become the first Asian former head of state to appear before the ICC.
“This will be a long legal proceeding. But I say to you, I will continue to serve my country. And so be it, if that is my destiny,” he added.
“I am OK, do not worry,” he told his supporters in the more than two-minute clip.
Duterte was apprehended by the ICC following his arrest in Manila on Tuesday.
Former President of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022, Duterte is facing allegations of crimes against humanity for overseeing a brutal anti-drug crackdown that resulted in the deaths of more than 6,000 people during his six years in office. Human rights groups believe the actual number of deaths could be in the tens of thousands.
The ICC arrest warrant accuses Duterte of creating, funding, and arming death squads that carried out murders of supposed drug users and dealers.
In a statement, the ICC confirmed that Duterte “surrendered to the custody of the International Criminal Court after being arrested by the Republic of the Philippines authorities for charges of murder as a crime against humanity.”
Duterte has been transferred to a detention facility on the Dutch coast, and he will be brought before an ICC judge in The Hague in the coming days for an initial appearance.
His daughter, Sara Duterte, the current Vice President of the Philippines, arrived in The Hague on Wednesday evening to support her father’s legal defense. She plans to hold a news conference there on Friday.
Volker Turk, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, described the arrest of Duterte as “a very important step towards seeking accountability for the thousands of victims of killings.”
Legal experts and academics consider the arrest and transfer of Duterte as a significant moment for the ICC, which has faced sanctions from the US government for issuing arrest warrants for Israeli officials accused of war crimes in Gaza. China, on the other hand, has cautioned the ICC against “politicisation” and “double standards,” stating that it is closely monitoring Duterte’s case.
The video, which has garnered millions of views, shows only Duterte speaking and appears to have been recorded on the plane that transported him to the Netherlands and at the ICC headquarters in The Hague.
“I am the one who led our law enforcement and military. I said that I will protect you and I will be responsible for all of this,” Duterte stated in the video posted on his and a close adviser’s Facebook pages.
“I have been telling the police, the military, that it was my job and I am responsible,” said the 79-year-old, who is set to become the first Asian former head of state to appear before the ICC.
“This will be a long legal proceeding. But I say to you, I will continue to serve my country. And so be it, if that is my destiny,” he added.
“I am OK, do not worry,” he told his supporters in the more than two-minute clip.
Duterte was apprehended by the ICC following his arrest in Manila on Tuesday.
Former President of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022, Duterte is facing allegations of crimes against humanity for overseeing a brutal anti-drug crackdown that resulted in the deaths of more than 6,000 people during his six years in office. Human rights groups believe the actual number of deaths could be in the tens of thousands.
The ICC arrest warrant accuses Duterte of creating, funding, and arming death squads that carried out murders of supposed drug users and dealers.
In a statement, the ICC confirmed that Duterte “surrendered to the custody of the International Criminal Court after being arrested by the Republic of the Philippines authorities for charges of murder as a crime against humanity.”
Duterte has been transferred to a detention facility on the Dutch coast, and he will be brought before an ICC judge in The Hague in the coming days for an initial appearance.
His daughter, Sara Duterte, the current Vice President of the Philippines, arrived in The Hague on Wednesday evening to support her father’s legal defense. She plans to hold a news conference there on Friday.
Volker Turk, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, described the arrest of Duterte as “a very important step towards seeking accountability for the thousands of victims of killings.”
Legal experts and academics consider the arrest and transfer of Duterte as a significant moment for the ICC, which has faced sanctions from the US government for issuing arrest warrants for Israeli officials accused of war crimes in Gaza. China, on the other hand, has cautioned the ICC against “politicisation” and “double standards,” stating that it is closely monitoring Duterte’s case.
