CLAIM: Majority of judges in the International Criminal Court had moved to end former president Rodrigo Duterte’s trial for crimes against humanity by yearend.
RATING: FALSE
A series of AI-generated news graphics made the rounds of Facebook groups supporting former president Rodrigo Duterte, falsely claiming that a majority of International Criminal Court (ICC) judges had rejected the evidence against him and moved to end his case by year-end.
Flagged content: A series of AI-generated pseudo-news graphics bore the same theme and the line: “MAJORITY OF ICC JUDGES REJECT THE EVIDENCE AND MOVE TO END THE TRIAL BEFORE THE YEAR ENDS” (sic).
- The graphics also featured the headlines “UPDATE FROM THE HAGUE” and “GOOD NEWS!” along with a picture of Duterte.
- The graphics were all dated Sept. 10, 2026.
Our debunk: Duterte’s trial before the ICC is still scheduled to begin on Nov. 30.
- As of the time of writing, the ICC has made no announcement postponing or canceling the trial, and Duterte remains in the court’s custody.
- In an email to PressOne.PH, the ICC confirmed that Trial Chamber III would hold a status conference on Sept. 16 to discuss preparations for the trial.
- Contrary to the claim that ICC judges had rejected the evidence against Duterte, Pre-Trial Chamber I unanimously confirmed all three charges of crimes against humanity against him on April 23 and committed him to trial.
- The original version of the card posted by lawyer-turned-fugitive Harry Roque on Sept. 10 did not contain the false claim.
Rewind: Duterte was arrested by Philippine authorities in March 2025 on an ICC warrant and surrendered to the court over alleged crimes against humanity in connection with killings during his war on drugs as Davao City mayor and president.
- On March 14, 2025, he made his first court appearance via video link before ICC Pre-Trial Chamber I.
- The confirmation of charges hearing was held from Feb. 23 to 27, 2026.
- On April 23, 2026, Pre-Trial Chamber I unanimously confirmed all three charges against Duterte and committed him to trial, finding substantial grounds to believe that he was responsible for the crimes against humanity of murder and attempted murder.
- Trial Chamber III subsequently scheduled the opening of Duterte’s trial for Nov. 30, 2026.
Why we fact-checked this: The posts received significant attention in Facebook groups supporting Duterte.
- Different versions and reposts of the cards also spread in political discussion groups on Facebook, with one gathering more than 1,500 reactions, more than 400 comments and hundreds of shares.
- The posts were flagged to PressOne.PH by the ICC.
Spot the fake: Disinformation styled as news cards has circulated for years, a tactic PressOne.PH has called “news-cycle disinformation.” Such cards can mislead unsuspecting social media users by mimicking the layouts of legitimate news organizations.
- Always check credible news reports and official documents, such as those available on the ICC’s case portal.
- Regardless of the source, treat news cards with additional caution. They can be easily altered and manipulated, especially with artificial intelligence.
- Check whether the claim actually appears in official court announcements or credible news reports before sharing it. Hurt Allauigan and Leigh San Diego
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