A Facebook (FB) reel falsely claims that International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor Karim Khan has declared former president Rodrigo Duterte “innocent” of crimes against humanity.
Published on March 17, the spurious FB post bore superimposed texts on the video and a caption that read:
“Heto na, ICC na mismo ang nagsabi na inosente si Tatay. Thank you po!!!! Pinakinggan ang dasal nating lahat.
(Here it is, the ICC itself said that Tatay is innocent. Thank you!!!! Our prayers have been heard.)
“Magandang umaga po. Nakakatuwang balita po para sa ating lahat.
(Good morning. This is joyful news for all of us.)”
The inaccurate post misrepresented Khan’s video statement on March 13 in which he said the former president is “presumed innocent” as he faces ICC.
Duterte remains under the ICC custody at its detention facility in Scheveningen on the outskirts of The Hague, Netherlands.
The prosecution and defense panels have been exchanging pieces of evidence they will present in court later. The Pre-Trial Chamber had set Duterte’s confirmation of charges hearing on Sept. 23. The ICC judges will decide if there is sufficient evidence for the case to go to trial.
The false post emerged three days after the former president’s first appearance on March 14 before the Pre-Trial Chamber I, during which Duterte’s identity was verified and ensured he was informed clearly of the crimes against humanity of murder he is alleged to have committed in the course of his administration’s drug war.
Uploaded by an FB user, the fraudulent post has since garnered 615,000 views, 13,000 reactions, 1,000 comments, and 4,200 shares. It continued to gain traction weeks after its publication.
