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The former president remains detained at Scheveningen Prison, awaiting his confirmation of charges hearing on September 23
Claim: The International Criminal Court (ICC) sentenced former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte, who faces crimes against humanity charges over alleged extrajudicial killings under his administration, to reclusion perpetua.
Rating: FALSE
Why we fact-checked this: The TikTok video containing the claim has 11,900 views, 157 likes, 204 comments, and 13 shares as of writing.
The post uses a news graphic carrying the ABS-CBN logo that reads: “Ex-pres. Duterte hinatulan ng Reclusion Perpetua ng ICC dahil sa EJK.”
(Ex-president Duterte sentenced to reclusion perpetua by the ICC over extrajudicial killings.)
The accompanying text in the post further claims, “Habang buhay na talaga sa kulungan (Truly sentenced to life imprisonment).”
The facts: The ICC has not sentenced Duterte to reclusion perpetua. He remains in pre-trial detention at Scheveningen Prison in The Hague following his March 11 arrest for crimes against humanity charges linked to his bloody drug war.
There is no verdict yet on his case, as his confirmation of charges hearing, scheduled for September 23, has not yet started. It is during this stage that ICC judges will decide if the case proceeds to trial. Here, the pre-trial chamber will be applying the higher standard of “substantial grounds to believe” that Duterte committed crimes against humanity — a higher threshold compared to the “reasonable grounds to believe” standard the judges used when they issued the arrest warrant against Duterte. (READ: World expert ‘fairly confident’ Duterte will be charged in ICC September hearing)
On July 24, ICC spokesperson Dr. Fadi El‑Abdallah told media that Duterte remains under detention in response to questions on whether the former president had gone out of the ICC facility.
The post relies solely on a fabricated ABS‑CBN news graphic and offers no credible evidence to substantiate its claim.
Disinformation surge: Duterte’s arrest sparked a wave of online disinformation aimed at both the ICC and the Philippine Supreme Court, with attacks intensifying against ICC judges and prosecutors. Duterte’s supporters twisted statements to falsely claim that the former president had been cleared of charges while flooding ICC officials’ social media with hostile comments. (READ: Supreme Court, ICC targeted by ‘fake news’ after Duterte arrest)
Lawyers representing victims warned that these intimidation tactics, compounded by Duterte’s lingering influence in the Philippines, underscore the need to keep his case under ICC jurisdiction to safeguard witnesses and ensure a fair process. – Marjuice Destinado/Rappler.com
Marjuice Destinado is a senior political science student at Cebu Normal University (CNU). An Aries Rufo Journalism Fellow of Rappler for 2025, she is also the feature editor of Ang Suga, CNU’s official student publication.
