Fact check: UN did not ‘intervene’ in Rodrigo Duterte ICC case
MANILA, Philippines — A Facebook post falsely claimed the United Nations had “intervened” in former President Rodrigo Duterte’s International Criminal Court (ICC) case.
The post, published on May 20 by Facebook page Dodoyte 2.0 YT, which has over 15,000 followers, also targeted President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. in its caption and accompanying graphic.
Part of the post's caption read:
FINISH KANA P-MARCOS???????? UN NAKIALAM NA SA POLICA NG PINAS????????????????
MARCOS ADMINISTRATION, INAKUSAHAN SA UNITED NATIONS NA GINAGAMIT ANG ICC LABAN KAY DATING PANGULONG DUTERTE
Rating: This is false.
Facts
The United Nations did not intervene in Duterte's ICC case, contrary to what the post claims.
The statement, submitted on May 19, actually came from the Japanese non-government organization (NGO) International Career Support Association (ICSA), led by Shunichi Fujiki, who has been described by some as a “rights advocate.”
However, according to Rights Report Philippines, Fujiki has a record of using international forums to "deny wartime sexual slavery, discredit accountability mechanisms," and deploy tactics that scholars have compared to Holocaust denialism.
In its statement, the organization alleged that Duterte’s transfer to the ICC was a “politically motivated surrender” orchestrated by the Marcos administration ahead of the 2028 presidential elections.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Thursday, May 21 described the ICSA statement as containing “baseless claims” and said it anticipates that no action will be taken on it by the Human Rights Council or the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
"None of its (ICSA) previous actions have borne any fruit," the DFA added.
Why we fact-checked this
The ICC formally confirmed all charges of crimes against humanity against Duterte on April 23, committing him to a full trial.
British lawyer Peter Haynes was formally appointed as Duterte's new defense counsel, who plans to revisit the issue of Duterte's fitness to stand trial.
Dodoyte 2.0 YT's Facebook post has garnered over 2,000 reactions, 400 comments and 400 shares.
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