A graphic circulating on social media targets Judge Joanna Korner of the International Criminal Court who allegedly said that she is not in favor of putting former president Rodrigo Duterte behind bars since the tribunal no longer has jurisdiction over the Philippines. This is fake.
A netizen, through the Messenger Tip Line, asked VERA Files Fact Check to verify the graphic, first published by a user on Threads on May 30. It features a photo of Korner and multiple claims attributed to her. The text read:
“JUDGE JOANNA KORNER (BRITISH, INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT)
STATEMENT REGARDING PHILIPPINE JURISDICTION
RODRIGO DUTERTE SHOULD NOT BE IMPRISONED.
- The Philippines is no longer an ICC member.
- The ICC therefore has no jurisdiction.
- It would be unlawful to arrest and hold him.”
The Threads user also captioned the post:
“Just in : ‘British ICC Judge Joanna Korner clarifies the legal standing of the ICC regarding former President Rodrigo Duterte. Since the Philippines has withdrawn its membership, the ICC has no jurisdiction, making any arrest unlawful.
ICC #Duterte #Philippines #InternationalLaw #Justice #LegalJurisdiction #JudgeKorner’”
A quick review of ICC’s official social media pages and website show no record of Korner making these remarks, even at the first status conference of the case on May 27.
In fact, the Trial Chamber III of the ICC, headed by the British judge, has already scheduled on Nov. 30 the start of Duterte’s trial for alleged crimes against humanity.
Contrary to what the bogus posts claim, the ICC’s Appeals Chamber resolved on April 22 the central legal issue in the case, affirming the court’s jurisdiction over the three counts of murder against Duterte as crimes against humanity that stemmed from the extrajudicial killings related to his anti-drug war during his tenure as Davao City Mayor and as president.
These crimes were allegedly committed from Nov. 1, 2011 to March 16, 2019 when the Philippines was still a state party before its withdrawal from the Rome Statute, the founding treaty of the ICC.
The manufactured graphic surfaced three days after the trial chamber announced its ruling on the schedule of Duterte’s trial which will be conducted daily until it goes on recess.
The post by a Threads user garnered the most traction, with 5,348 engagements and 125,000 views. Other copies have been cross-posted on YouTube and various pro-Duterte Facebook groups.
