A video of International Criminal Court (ICC) President Tomoko Akane explaining the tribunal’s jurisdiction was edited in a misleading way to suggest she was referring to former President Rodrigo Duterte’s case.
The clip spliced together two separate statements from a March 19 meeting with the European Parliament, creating the false impression that Akane said the ICC lacks jurisdiction over crimes committed in the Philippines.
Overlay text in several TikTok videos further misrepresented her remarks, implying that Duterte would be released from detention and return to the country.
In the video, Akane was heard saying:
We (the ICC) don’t have jurisdiction. Same thing I can tell you. For example, if crimes occur on the soil of non-state parties by non-state parties’ persons, we don’t have jurisdiction, whatever the crime is.
And this UN Security Council refer(s) the situation to us. So, we have the limitation under the Rome Statute what kind of crimes and what kind of people and the jurisdiction on the territory.”
In one video, this was combined with the text: “‘Wag na sayangin ang luha. Maghanda nalang sa pagdating ng tatay ng Pilipinas (Don’t waste your tears. Just prepare for when father [Duterte] returns to the Philippines.)”
Meanwhile, another video claimed: “Mukhang malapit ng umuwi si FPRRD (It seems like former President Rodrigo Duterte will soon be coming home.)
RATING: This is misleading.
Facts
Akane was not referring to the Philippines or any specific country when explaining the tribunal’s jurisdiction.
During a March 19 meeting of the European Parliament’s subcommittee on human rights and committee on legal affairs, Akane discussed how the Trump administration’s sanctions on the ICC could affect its operations and investigations.
She responded to questions and criticisms, stressing that the ICC operates independently within the bounds of the Rome Statute, with prosecutors acting separately from judges, who rule based on presented evidence.
Why we fact-checked this
Akane, as ICC president, has been the target of edited content misusing her authority to spread false and misleading narratives supporting Duterte’s release.
False quote cards bearing her name and photo, along with spliced videos, have circulated on social media, falsely claiming she ordered Duterte’s release.
Read the full story on Philstar.com.