Former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte said he was "responsible" and pledged to protect police and the military as he arrived in the Netherlands on Wednesday to face an ICC case stemming from his deadly narcotics crackdown.
The International Criminal Court, based in The Hague, has said that there were "reasonable grounds" to believe Duterte committed the crime against humanity of murder as an "indirect co-perpetrator" during the anti-drug campaign that rights groups estimate killed tens of thousands of people.
"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 said in a video shared on his and a close advisor's Facebook pages as he was about to land in The Netherlands.
"I have been telling the police, the military, that it was my job and I am responsible," said the 79-year-old, the first Asian former head of state to face charges at the ICC.
"This will be a long legal proceeding, but I say to you I will continue to serve the country and so be it," he added.
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