Duterte anticipates long legal battle at ICC

The former Philippines president has said he takes “full responsibility” for his “war on drugs”.

Former Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has said he is ready for a long legal battle at the International Criminal Court (ICC) after his arrest on charges of crimes against humanity linked to his “war on drugs.”

Duterte was detained by the Philippines authorities at Manila’s international airport on Tuesday and was flown to The Hague the next day. The ICC arrest warrant alleges that from 2016 to 2022, the former president put together, funded, and armed “death squads” which carried out killings of suspected drug dealers and users.

While on the plane, Duterte recorded a two-minute video statement, asking his supporters not to worry and saying he is “okay.”

“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 said in a video which was published on Facebook on Wednesday and has already been viewed more than 19 million times.

The former president previously denied any wrongdoing, but acknowledged that blood was spilled during his “war on drugs.” Shortly after taking office, he promising to rid the country of illegal narcotics by ordering the police to use lethal force against any drug suspects if they believed they were in danger.

According to official records, around 6,200 people were killed in police operations. Activists say the actual figure could be much higher.

“Whatever happened in the past, I will be the front of our law enforcement and the military. I said this already, that I will protect you, and I will be responsible for everything,” Duterte said regarding his war on drugs.

Some human rights advocates called the arrest of the former president illegal due to the fact that the Philippines formally withdrew from the ICC in 2019 on Duterte’s order. The Hague-based court insists that it retains jurisdiction over crimes that may have been committed while the country was a signatory to it.

Duterte’s son, Sebastian ‘Baste’ Duterte, currently the mayor of Davao City, said in a statement on Friday that his father’s arrest “sets a dangerous president.”

“If this can be done to a former President of the Republic, what protection is left for ordinary Filipino citizens?” he wrote.