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).
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).
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).
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
Atlantic
2 hours ago
- Atlantic
Men Are Already Writing Off Ukraine's New Prime Minister
This month, the Ukrainian government made an unusual choice for its new prime minister. In a rare move for the country—and indeed for most of Eastern Europe—it picked a woman. Yulia Svyrydenko, a 39-year-old selected by President Volodymyr Zelensky and approved by Parliament, will lead the government in a period of intense uncertainty, as Russia escalates its offensive, Europe revamps its security commitments, and the Trump administration waffles on the war. Some Ukrainian and Western observers have suggested that Svyrydenko isn't up to the task, in part because they characterize her as a mere 'loyalist' to Zelensky. She ' would do everything saluting, without fail,' an anonymous source in Zelensky's party told New Voice, a Ukrainian magazine. 'I don't believe she can reform our country,' Oleksiy Goncharenko, a member of Parliament, told me as he left a legislative session last week where he'd voted against her candidacy. 'If she tries to criticize the president, she will end up like General Zaluzhny,' he continued, referring to Ukraine's former army chief, whom Zelensky had dismissed after their differences became public. The new prime minister is also facing overtly sexist criticism. 'Svyrydenko is exactly the girl who all of you, dear students, are familiar with from school: She always sits at the front desk' and 'carefully writes down the teacher's notes,' Oleh Posternak, a Ukrainian political strategist, wrote in a Facebook post that a national media site republished. Very few women have led former Soviet states, and they have virtually all received this kind of disparagement from men. In 2018, Georgia elected its first female president, Salome Zourabichvili, who'd run as an independent. Before she even took office, political observers called her a 'finger puppet' of the billionaire leader of the ruling party, which had endorsed her. Today, many in Georgia credit Zourabichvili with uniting the opposition, and she condemned as 'totally falsified' a recent election won by the party of her former patron. In Moldova, many discounted Maia Sandu, who became the country's first female president in 2020. Sandu's rival in the race, the pro-Russian incumbent, Igor Dodon, criticized her for not having children—a line of attack that MAGA would later take up against Kamala Harris in the 2024 U.S. presidential race. In Dodon's view, Sandu's lack of offspring meant that she was ' not interested in what is happening in the country.' Her opponents launched a misinformation campaign about her, much of which centered on the coronavirus pandemic. 'The fake news scared people that I would close schools, hospitals, and even churches,' Sandu told me at the time. Instead, Sandu invested in the country's medical and educational sectors, recruited European Union support for her agenda, and oversaw funding for the restoration of Orthodox churches. She has also been an effective reformer, working to root out the country's extensive corruption. Anne Applebaum: The country that suffers whenever Russia schemes Svyrydenko has a chance to leave a similar legacy in Ukraine. She has ample experience working with foreign governments, whose support is now existentially important to Ukraine. Early in her career, she served as the country's only permanent representative in China, bringing investment to her hometown of Chernihiv. As deputy prime minister, Svyrydenko negotiated billion-dollar reconstruction projects and trade agreements with the European Commission and Emirati leaders, as well as a $400 million investment from Turkish business interests. She also helped broker a natural-resources agreement with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to create a joint investment fund to rebuild Ukraine. Her appointment last week was part of a larger government reshuffle by Zelensky, who reassigned the previous prime minister, Denys Shmyhal, to the role of defense minister. In her new role, Svyrydenko will be tasked with rehabilitating the economy, boosting the domestic production of weapons, and strengthening Ukraine's armed forces, in part by securing financing from allies and the International Monetary Fund. One of her first actions as prime minister was to advance talks with the United States about a major potential investment in Ukraine's drone industry. Nevertheless, and despite her strong résumé, Svyrydenko will have to contend with broad reservations in Ukraine about female leadership. According to a 2020 study conducted by the research group Rating, Ukrainians are more likely to prefer male political executives. Sometimes bad actors take advantage of this trust gap. Katerina Sergatskova, the executive director of the 2402 Foundation, which supports and trains Ukrainian journalists, has seen many Ukrainian women in public life become the target of harassment. 'It is political sexism. The attacks are well-organized campaigns,' Sergatskova told me. She has experienced such a campaign herself, which included death threats that forced her to stay out of Ukraine for a time. Sergatskova noted that many in Ukraine are comparing Svyrydenko to the country's first female prime minister, Yulia Tymoshenko, who took office in 2005 and faced several corruption charges. One case resulted in a criminal conviction against her and two and a half years in prison, which the U.S. condemned as politically motivated. After the 2014 revolution, which ousted Ukraine's pro-Russian regime, the supreme court overruled Tymoshenko's conviction and ordered her release. Nevertheless, a large majority of the Ukrainian public still don't trust her. Zelensky has fought against Ukraine's abiding suspicion of female politicians by promoting a new generation of them into leadership positions. In addition to picking Svyrydenko as prime minister, he also announced the appointment of Olha Stefanishyna as Ukraine's new special representative to the United States. The approach sets him apart from Vladimir Putin. Valentina Matviyenko, one of two women who serve on the Russian president's permanent security council, put on a Barbie-pink suit last year and derided feminism as 'an anti-male, anti-traditional-values movement.' Meanwhile, Russia bans and prosecutes feminist groups, and Putin tells Russian women to have 'minimum two children.' For those who fear that Svyrydenko will be no more than a Zelensky loyalist, she is already facing her first test. This week, Zelensky tightened the administration's control over two independent agencies tasked with fighting government corruption. Sevgil Musayeva, the editor in chief of the newspaper Ukrainska Pravda, described the move as a step toward authoritarianism. 'Svyrydenko has a chance to act now and speak against this decision that is undermining democracy, which our soldiers are dying for,' Musayeva told me. 'But such action would require a lot of her courage.' Two days after Zelensky reined in the government watchdogs, Svyrydenko met with G7 ambassadors in Kyiv to discuss anti-corruption policy —a subtle acknowledgment, perhaps, that the president had gone too far. But not everyone is convinced that Svyrydenko will be able to stand up to Zelensky. 'Officially, we are a parliamentary-presidential republic,' Goncharenko, the legislator, told me last week. 'I wish that were true. But we live in wartime; the decisions are made by the president.' Goncharenko isn't holding out hope that Svyrdrydenko will be able to make her own choices: 'If she contradicts his policy, he will simply fire her.'
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
Gregg Wallace defends John Torode
Gregg Wallace has defended his former MasterChef co-star John Torode after they were both sacked by the BBC. A report into the TV show upheld an allegation of an "extremely offensive racist term being used in the workplace", with John, 60, later identifying himself as the individual alleged to have used racist language in 2018 or 2019. On July 15, the corporation announced that John's contract would not be renewed although Torode has denied using a racist word and said he has "no recollection" of using racist language. Gregg, 60, told The Sun newspaper: "I'll tell you one thing right now: John Torode is not a racist. "I've known John for 30 years and he is not a racist. 'And as evidence of that, I'll show you the incredible diversity of the people that he has championed, MasterChef winners, over the years. "There is no way that man is a racist. No way. And my sympathies go out to John because I don't want anybody to go through what I've been through.' Gregg was also sacked by the BBC after the investigation into his alleged inappropriate behaviour was released, with 45 out of 83 allegations substantiated, including claims of inappropriate sexual language, humour, and one reported incident of "unwelcome physical contact". And, while Gregg has admitted he made mistakes, he denied the allegations against him. He said: 'I'm not saying I'm not guilty of stuff, but so much has been perceived incorrectly. Things that really hurt me and hurt my family.'
Los Angeles Times
10 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
Hong Kong police offer rewards for tips leading to the arrest of 19 overseas activists
HONG KONG — Hong Kong police announced rewards for information leading to the arrest of 19 overseas-based activists for their roles in what they called a subversive organization abroad, accusing them of violating a national security law imposed by Beijing. Police said in a statement Friday that the group, Hong Kong Parliament, aimed to promote self-determination and establish a 'Hong Kong constitution,' alleging it was using illegal means to overthrow and undermine China's fundamental system or usurp the institutions in power in Hong Kong or Beijing. At the request of the police, the city's court issued arrest warrants for activists Elmer Yuen, Johnny Fok, Tony Choi, Victor Ho, Keung Ka-wai and 14 others. They are alleged to have organized or participated in an election abroad for the Hong Kong Parliament, as well as setting up or becoming members of the group. According to a Facebook statement by the group on June 30, its election drew some 15,700 valid votes through mobile app and online voting systems. It said the candidates and elected members came from various regions, including Taiwan, Thailand, Australia, the U.S., Canada and Britain. While the group calls itself Hong Kong Parliament, its electoral organizing committee was founded in Canada and its influence is limited. Police already offered 1 million Hong Kong dollars, or about $127,400, for information leading to the arrest of Yuen, Ho, Fok and Choi when previous arrest warrants were issued against them. For the other 15, rewards of 200,000 Hong Kong dollars were offered, and residents were urged to provide information about the case or the people. 'The investigation is still ongoing. If necessary, police will offer bounties to hunt down more suspects in the case,' police said. They also called on the wanted activists to stop their activities, saying that they hoped they 'will take this opportunity to return to Hong Kong and turn themselves in, rather than making more mistakes.' Yuen said in a Facebook Live broadcast that the election was not quite successful in drawing active participation, and that the police campaign would help the group rally support for the resistance movement. 'It helps us with a lot of advertising,' Yuen said. During the live chat with Yuen, Sasha Gong, another activist targeted by the bounties, accused Hong Kong of becoming a police state. She said she is a U.S. citizen and would report her case to the American authorities and lawmakers. Over the last two years, Hong Kong authorities have issued arrest warrants for various activists based overseas, including former pro-democracy lawmakers Nathan Law and Ted Hui. Authorities also canceled the passports of some of them under a recent security law introduced to the city last year. The moves against overseas-based activists have drawn criticism from foreign governments, especially given the former British colony was promised that its Western-style civil liberties and semi-autonomy would be kept intact for at least 50 years when it returned to Chinese rule in 1997. U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy and Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said in a joint statement that the warrants and bounties on people living in Britain are 'another example of transnational repression,' and that the act encourages reckless behavior on U.K. soil. In March, the United States sanctioned six Chinese and Hong Kong officials who it alleged were involved in 'transnational repression' and acts that threaten to further erode the city's autonomy. Beijing and Hong Kong contend that the national security laws were necessary for the city's stability. Hong Kong police have maintained that the Beijing-imposed law applies to permanent residents in Hong Kong who violate it abroad. In retaliation for the U.S. move, China in April said it would sanction American officials, lawmakers and leaders of nongovernmental organizations who it says have 'performed poorly' on Hong Kong issues. Leung writes for the Associated Press.
