FACT CHECK: Video of ICC judge saying Duterte should be released is AI-generated

A reverse image search did not show any credible video of ICC Judge Joanna Korner making the statement Claim: A video shows International Criminal Court (ICC) Trial Chamber III Judge Joanna Korner saying former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte should be released. Rating: FALSE Why we fact-checked this: A Facebook reel posted on July 28 has already received 95,000 views, 2,600 reactions, 750 shares, and 188 comments as of writing. Korner can be seen in the video supposedly saying, “The court has reviewed the petition. Duterte must be released immediately. This is in accordance with the law and justice. So ordered. The ruling is clear and final.” Another video posted in June shows Korner allegedly saying, “Duterte needs to be released immediately. Justice has been served.” The videos’ captions state that Duterte is set to be released, since an ICC judge herself said that the former president should not be detained. Several social media users believe the video to be genuine. One comment reads, “Wow, thank you very much the Filipino people [are] very happy [for your] releasing our beloved Tatay Digong.” The facts: The video is AI-generated. AI detector tool Hive Detect flagged the video as 96.4% likely to contain AI-generated content and 97.2% likely to have AI-generated audio. DetectVideo AI also labeled the video as likely manipulated with 67% probability. A reverse image search did not show any credible video of Korner making the alleged statement. There are also no official news reports or press releases from the ICC website quoting Korner saying that Duterte should be released from detention. Rappler has previously debunked similar AI-generated content about Korner, following the status conference on Duterte’s case in May. One video portrays the ICC judge saying that Duterte should not be imprisoned. AI detector tools flagged this video as AI-generated. Interim release denied: Duterte’s appeal for interim release has been rejected several times by the ICC. In May, the ICC decided that Duterte will continue to be detained for another year following the confirmation of charges in April. “In this regard, the Chamber observes that it is this Court’s consistent and longstanding jurisprudence that the confirmation of charges increases the risk that an accused may abscond and is therefore not a change in circumstances that militates in favor of conditional release, but rather one supporting continued detention,” the chamber said. Duterte was arrested in March 2025 and is currently facing three counts of crimes against humanity due to his alleged involvement in the killings under his war on drugs and the Davao Death Squad. The former leader’s ICC trial is set to start in November. Previous fact checks: Rappler has previously fact-checked similar false claims about Duterte detention: FACT CHECK: Duterte remains detained; VP Sara not at ICC to ‘pick up’ her father FACT CHECK: Duterte not set to be released amid US push to dismantle ICC FACT CHECK: ICC did not junk Duterte’s case FACT CHECK: ICC did not say evidence vs Duterte is insufficient FACT CHECK: Video of ICC judge saying Duterte should not be imprisoned is AI-generated FACT CHECK: Photos of Duterte being assisted in ICC courtroom are AI-generated – Angelee Kaye Abelinde/Rappler.com Angelee Kaye Abelinde is a student journalist based in Naga City, and an alumna of Rappler’s Aries Rufo Journalism Fellowship 2024. Keep us aware of suspicious Facebook pages, groups, accounts, websites, articles, or photos in your network by contacting us at factcheck@rappler.com. Let us battle disinformation one Fact Check at a time. How does this make you feel? Loading