FACT-CHECK: No ICC arrest warrant issued against Duterte

CLAIM: There’s an arrest warrant against former president Rodrigo Duterte. 

RATING: FALSE

An X user claimed on Feb. 6 that the International Criminal Court (ICC) had issued an arrest warrant against former president Rodrigo Duterte. 

However, Sen. Christopher “Bong” Go, a Duterte aide, on Feb. 7 dismissed the rumor, stating the ex-president had not received any confirmation of the arrest warrant for alleged crimes against humanity.

Go also emphasized that the ICC had no jurisdiction over the Philippines as the country had withdrew from the Rome Statute in 2019. 

He also echoed President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s remarks that the government would not cooperate with the ICC in its investigations. 

The ICC resumed its investigation in July 2023 after dismissing the Philippine government’s plea to stop the probe into the killings committed during the Duterte administration’s campaign “war on drugs.” The ICC’s preliminary examination began in 2018 and officially opened its investigation in September 2021. 

The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency’s Real Numbers PH in 2022 recorded 6,252 deaths during the anti-drug operations from July 2016 to May 2022.

As of writing, the post has garnered 199 likes and 33 reposts. Rushelle Intia

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Rushelle Intia is a Journalism student from the University of Santo Tomas and an intern for PressOnePH. This piece was created under the supervision of PressOnePH’s editors.