A graphic circulating online claims that the judges assigned to former president Rodrigo Duterte’s case in the International Criminal Court have rejected the evidence and moved to end his trial. This is false.
The ICC has denied this and reiterated that the trial will push through, with the opening still scheduled for Nov. 30.
On Sept. 10, a Facebook user posted a graphic showing images of Duterte and the ICC headquarters in The Hague, with the supposed update on his case. The social media accounts of former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque also appear at the bottom of the graphic.
The graphic bore the text:
“UPDATE FROM THE HAGUE. GOOD NEWS! MAJORITY OF ICC JUDGES REJECT THE EVIDENCE AND MOVE TO END THE TRIAL BEFORE THE YEAR ENDS.”
The post also read:
“UPDATE FROM THE HAGUE. A developing update is drawing attention: reports circulating online claim that a majority of ICC judges may reject key evidence and could move toward ending the trial before the year ends. What happens next could have major implications. Stay informed, follow verified developments, and wait for official court announcements before drawing conclusions. For updates, facts, and the latest developments—stay tuned. #ICC #TheHague #Philippines #Justice #Duterte.”
In a Sept. 11 email to VERA Files, the ICC’s Public Affairs Unit disowned the circulating claims.
“Contrary to what these social media posts say, the opening of the trial is still scheduled for 30 November, and the Chamber will hold a hearing next week on 16 September to discuss preparations for the trial,” a portion of the email said.
The ICC also reminds the public that “all public statements, submissions and documents, including from the judges in the Duterte case” are available on the ICC website.
Roque, who is currently seeking asylum in Austria according to reports, did not post such a graphic on his social media pages either.
VERA Files ran the graphic through Hive Moderation, a tool that detects use of artificial intelligence in images and videos, and the results showed a 99.9% likelihood that the false update was generated using AI.
The graphic circulated a day after the prosecution opposed the request of Duterte’s counsels to require expert reports for all forms of open-source and user-generated evidence, arguing that it is “unreasonable, unnecessary and against the interests of judicial efficiency.”
The former president is facing crimes against humanity charges for the alleged murders committed during his drug war campaign from November 1, 2011 to March 16, 2019.
VERA Files has debunked disinformation related to Duterte’s case in the ICC.
The FB user posted the false graphic to several groups that support Vice President Sara Duterte and other FB users have since shared the social media card. At least 17 copies of the graphic on FB collectively garnered 2,700 reactions, 443 comments and 151 shares.
