Pro-Duterte posts misrepresent ICC chief's comments on court's jurisdiction
The clip shows ICC President Tomoko Akane saying the court does not have jurisdiction if "crimes occur on the soil of non-state parties by non-state parties or persons".
Tagalog-language text on the video, using a popular nickname for Duterte, reads: "This is it! The ICC president herself said it. Father Digong can go home early."
The post surfaced following Duterte's arrest on March 11; he was then put on plane to the ICC in the Netherlands to face a crimes against humanity charge tied to his drug war in which thousands were killed (archived link).
The 79-year-old is awaiting a confirmation of charges hearing scheduled for September 23 where he will have the opportunity to contest the accusations against him (archived link).
Image
Screenshot of the false Facebook post, taken on March 26, 2025
The clip also circulated in other social media posts alongside the same claim, racking up over 150,000 views in total.
But the clip does not show the ICC president speaking about Duterte's case or whether it falls within the court's jurisdiction.
While Duterte pulled the Philippines out of the ICC's founding treaty, the Rome Statute, in 2019 after the tribunal began looking into allegations of systematic extrajudicial killings during his term, the court ruled that alleged crimes committed prior to the withdrawal remained under its jurisdiction (archived link).
The ICC reiterated this position after Duterte's arrest, saying the case "falls within the jurisdiction of the Court as the alleged crimes occurred during the period when the Philippines was a State Party to the Rome Statute" (archived link).
European Parliament meeting
A keyword search on Google found the falsely shared clip corresponds to a longer video posted on the website of the European Parliament (archived link).
Akane was addressing a joint meeting of the European Parliament's human rights subcommittee and legal affairs committee on March 19 (archived link).
Image
Screenshot comparison of the falsely shared video (left) and the European Parliament video (right)
The clip used in the false posts shows part of Akane's response to a question raised by Dainius Zalimas, a member of the European Parliament from Lithuania.
At the video's 11:13:40 mark, Zalimas asks Akane whether there is any need to adjust the Rome Statute to include crimes such as ecocide or other crimes against the environment.
She begins her response at the 11:30:30 mark by stating that ecocide is not in the statute, and it is "up to the state parties to amend the Rome Statute if you feel it is necessary to incorporate it, likewise with other crimes as well".
The clip used in the false posts follows at the 11:31:40 mark, where she lays out the limits of the ICC's jurisdiction.
She does not mention Duterte's case in the answer, or in response to any other questions at the European Parliament meeting.
AFP has previously debunked a similar false claim spread by Duterte's supporters suggesting the ICC lacks jurisdiction to charge the former president here.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Local France
13 hours ago
- Local France
France's culture minister to be tried for corruption
Dati, a 59-year-old who holds ambitions to become Paris mayor next year, was charged in 2019 on suspicions she lobbied for the Renault-Nissan carmaking group while at the European Union institution. She denies the allegations. Dati is accused of accepting €900,000 in lawyer's fees between 2010 and 2012 from a Netherlands-based subsidiary of Renault-Nissan, but not really working for them, while she was an MEP from 2009 to 2019. Investigations have sought to determine whether she was in fact lobbying in the European Parliament for the carmaker, an activity that is forbidden. Advertisement French investigating magistrates also ordered that Carlos Ghosn, the ex-tycoon of Renault-Nissan, be tried, the judicial source said. The 71-year-old, who has been living in Lebanon for years after escaping arrest in Japan, has also rejected the charges against him. A hearing on September 29th will decide on the date of the trial, the source said. According to another source following the case, the trial could be held after the Paris municipal elections, which will be held in March next year. Dati, a daughter of working-class North African immigrants, has repeatedly sought without success to have the charges against her quashed. She is a right-winger who served in Nicolas Sarkozy's government but has recently been brought back into government as culture minister under the centrist François Bayrou. Ghosn, the former chairman and chief executive of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance, was arrested in Japan in November 2018 on suspicion of financial misconduct, before being sacked by Nissan's board in a unanimous decision. He jumped bail late the following year and made a dramatic escape from Japan hidden in an audio-equipment box, landing in Beirut, where he remains as an international fugitive. Both Japan and France have sought his arrest.
AFP
a day ago
- AFP
Unrelated arrest photo shared in hoax about South African child support fraud
'A 35 year old woman was arrested for collecting child support money from Eight (different men for one child (sic),' reads a Facebook post published on July 12, 2025. The post adds: 'Ms Nancy Mudau from Nzhelele Biaba, Limpopo has been collecting money for 12 years from these Eight (different men who thought they are the father of her child.' The post, shared more than 4,500 times, further claims that by the time the woman was arrested, the money had been used to pay school fees, build a home and start construction on a tavern. Image Screenshot of the false Facebook post, taken on July 21, 2025 The photo included in the post shows a woman facing a South African Police Service (SAPS) van, while being flanked by uniformed officers. Similar claims were shared tens of thousands of times across media platforms, including Instagram, TikTok and X. But the claims are false. No case A reverse image search of the arrest photo revealed that it was posted on the SAPS website on April 5, 2024, in connection with a drug bust in Kimberley, a city in South Africa's Northern Cape province (archived here). 'Three adult male persons, two South Africans and one Nigerian, were arrested in Pampierstad for possession of crystal myth and one female was arrested in Hartswater for being in possession of suspected mandrax tablets,' reads the police statement. Image Screenshot of the image on the SAPS website, taken on July 21, 2025 The false posts claim that the woman was arrested in Limpopo province, approximately 1,000 kilometres from the Northern Cape, where the photo of the woman was taken (archived here). Limpopo police also told AFP Fact Check on July 17, 2025, that they had no arrests matching the claim's description. 'We do not have such a case in Limpopo,' spokesman Malesela Ledwaba said in a WhatsApp message. 2023 hoax A keyword search for 'Woman from Nzhelele, Limpopo Nancy Mudau' on Google links to unverified articles from 2023, including on West African blog sites, including here, here and here. The hoax was reignited this year by a Facebook account called 'Koos de Klerk', which was created in June 2025 and often shares similar fake stories as clickbait with more than 197,000 followers. Most of the posts from this account also link to a job-seeker's website or promote a WhatsApp group ostensibly with the same mission. Image Screenshot showing the promotion of the job seekers' WhatsApp group AFP Fact Check has previously investigated how these job scam adverts are designed to extract cash or steal personal data, taking advantage of unemployed people. To verify advertised job opportunities, always check the company or organisation's official website or LinkedIn page.
AFP
a day ago
- AFP
Clip of Lee Jae Myung laughing predates former lawmaker's passing
"Lee Jae Myung's chilling reaction to Chang Je-won's tragic end," reads Korean-language text superimposed on a minute-long Instagram clip shared on July 20, 2025. Chang Je-won, a former three-term People Power Party (PPP) lawmaker and close associate of former president Yoon Suk Yeol, was found dead at his personal office on March 31. "A police officer said there were 'no signs of foul play' at the scene and his death was likely by suicide, though an investigation is under way into the exact circumstances," reported the Yonhap News Agency, adding that a note "presumably written by Chang" was also found (archived link). Chang had been under police investigation over allegations of sexual assault stemming from his time as a vice president of a university in Busan. The clip appears to show Lee and Prime Minister Kim Min-seok trying to hold back laughter while listening to former Democratic Party floor leader Park Chan-dae. The video's narrator suggests Park was speaking about Chang's death. "After Chang took his own life at a residence in Gil-dong in March 2025, this scene was brought to light again by internet users," says the narrator. Image Screenshot of the false Instagram post captured on July 21, 2025, with a red X added by AFP The same clip was widely shared by multiple right-wing social media users on YouTube and Facebook. "This gives me goosebumps, how can they call themselves human," read a comment on one of the posts. Another said: "Lee Jae Myung lacks basic decency, and they elected this guy president." But the clip precedes Chang's death by weeks. Party meeting A keyword search on Google found matching footage published by KBS on March 7, about three weeks before Chang's death (archived link). The KBS footage shows Lee and Kim -- who led the Democratic Party at the time -- chortling during a regular open-to-the-press party meeting as floor leader Park Chan-dae criticised Chang over the sexual assault allegations. Image Screenshot comparisons of the falsely shared clip (left) and the KBS footage (right), with timestamps added by AFP Park had attacked Chang's decision to step down from the PPP, saying his resignation alone was not enough to address the serious accusations. Park highlighted a text message Chang allegedly sent to his accuser -- "How do you think I feel if you just leave me like this?" -- repeating it in a mocking tone and drawing the suppressed laughter from Lee and Kim (archived link). Park can be seen reading the text message in footage of the March 7 meeting posted on YouTube by broadcaster JTV, at its 1:36:07 mark (archived link). Lee's reaction was also covered by local media outlets JTBC and MBC (archived here and here). As of July 22, there have been no official reports or videos on the Democratic Party website showing Lee's response to Chang's death, and the party did not issue a separate official response (archived link). AFP has debunked multiple false claims about Lee, who is a frequent target of misinformation online.
