Russia not planning to jail ICC judges over Duterte’s case

Russian chief Vladimir Putin has not expressed any dedication to intervene in Duterte’s case on the ICC

Declare: Russian President Vladimir Putin declared that Russia will abduct and jail the Worldwide Felony Courtroom (ICC) judges who’re dealing with the case of former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte.

Ranking: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this: A Fb publish bearing the declare was posted on January 5 and has garnered over 1,400 reactions, 200 feedback, and 100 shares as of writing. The content material has additionally been shared in numerous Fb teams with memberships starting from hundreds to a whole bunch of hundreds.

The textual content within the publish reads: “Sila naman ang ikukulong ni Russian President Vladimir Putin.” 

(Now it’s their flip to be imprisoned by Russian President Vladimir Putin.)

The publish consists of pictures of Putin, Duterte, US President Donald Trump, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., and Iulia Motoc, presiding decide of the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber I dealing with Duterte’s case. Textual content overlaid on the pictures reads: “Lumusob na sa ICC. Dudukutin at ipapakulong mga ICC judges? Russia nagdeklara na sa ICC.”

(The ICC has been stormed. ICC judges to be kidnapped and jailed? Russia has made a declaration in opposition to the ICC.)

A lot of the feedback on the publish thanked Putin for the supposed transfer to imprison the ICC judges and safe Duterte’s launch.

The Fb web page “GAP Leisure,” which posted the declare, has over 163,000 followers and 1,500 posts which might be predominantly pro-Duterte and anti-Marcos.

The information:  There are not any official statements from Putin or the Russian authorities a couple of supposed plan to detain and arrest Motoc or the opposite ICC judges as a result of Duterte’s case on the courtroom.

The publish probably referred to the “in absentia” jail verdict promulgated by a courtroom in Moscow in opposition to ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan and eight judges in December 2025. This was a response to the ICC’s issuance of an arrest warrant for Putin and Russia’s youngsters’s rights commissioner, Maria Lvova-Belova, in March 2023 over alleged warfare crimes associated to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

This “in absentia” ruling just isn’t associated to Duterte’s case, opposite to the declare. Russia can also be not an ICC member state, having withdrawn from the Rome Statute — the treaty that created the ICC — in 2016.

Philippine-Russia relations: Throughout his time period as president, Duterte has had a pleasant diplomatic relationship with Putin, however the Russian chief has by no means expressed a dedication to intervene in Duterte’s case or assist safe his launch.

Duterte was arrested in March 2025 over crimes in opposition to humanity costs linked to his administration’s warfare on medicine. (READ: Duterte’s arrest was ‘by the ebook,’ inside ICC’s liberal guidelines — consultants)

In 2017, Russia expressed its help for the Duterte administration’s drug warfare and promised to increase help in boosting the nation’s anti-terrorism efforts. Russia declared its personal “complete warfare in opposition to medicine” in 2011.

Debunked: Rappler has beforehand debunked a number of false claims concerning Putin and Russia’s alleged help for Duterte’s launch from the ICC: 

– Reinnard Balonzo/Rappler.com 

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