Claim: Harvey Specter, a lawyer accredited by the International Criminal Court (ICC) and founder of a top New York City law firm, said the following statement in a quote card circulating online:
“The case of Mr. Duterte is peculiar in such a way that the International Criminal Court lacks jurisdiction on the matter. The requisites required under International Law are not complied with.”
“Filipinos still have the chance to bring home Mr. Duterte prior to September 2025, under the principle of Rigor Mortis. I encourage everyone to call on Mr. Duterte’s counsel to comply with the Rigor Mortis requirements.”
Rating: FALSE
Why we fact-checked this: The YouTube post containing the claim was posted on March 17 and has 1,505 views and 92 likes as of writing.
The video’s caption reads: “Parami ng parami ang international lawyers na sumusuporta kay (More and more international lawyers are supporting) Tatay Digong #duterte #thankyoulord.”
The post surfaced following Duterte’s arrest on March 11 through a warrant issued by the ICC. He faces crimes against humanity charges linked to his war on drugs.
The facts: The quote card is fake. Harvey Specter is a fictional character from the American TV series Suits. The photo on the quote card shows American actor Gabriel Macht who originally played the character.
Additionally, the fake quote card mentions “rigor mortis,” which is irrelevant to Duterte’s case. It is not a legal term and has no requirements that can be complied with, in the context of judicial bodies such as the ICC.
According to Britannica, the phrase is a medical term used in forensic science and pathology that refers to the stiffening of muscles after death, which typically begins a few hours postmortem.
ICC jurisdiction: The quote card’s claim that the ICC no longer has jurisdiction over the drug war cases because of the Philippines’ withdrawal from the ICC in 2019 has been repeatedly debunked. (READ: [The Slingshot] The persistent lie that ICC has no jurisdiction)
On its official website, the ICC asserted that it still “retains jurisdiction with respect to alleged crimes that occurred on the territory of the Philippines while it was a State Party, from 1 November 2011 up to and including 16 March 2019.” (READ: EXPLAINER: What you need to know about ICC’s jurisdiction over Duterte)
The Supreme Court also said in a March 2021 decision that the Philippines must still comply with Article 127(2) of the Rome Statute which states: “A State shall not be discharged, by reason of its withdrawal, from the obligations arising from this Statute while it was as a Party to the Statute.”
Duterte is currently detained inside the Scheveningen Prison in The Hague, Netherlands. He faced the ICC for the first time on March 14 and is set to appear again before the ICC on September 23 for the confirmation of charges hearing. (LIVE UPDATES: Rodrigo Duterte arrested over ICC case)
Since the former president’s arrest, various false claims have circulated online: from claims that the ICC has ordered the dismissal of Duterte’s case to fake quote cards expressing support for Duterte.
Rappler has published several fact-checks disputing these dubious quote cards:
- FACT CHECK: Quote cards of Trump’s statements on Duterte arrest are fake
- FACT CHECK: Quote card on Duterte arrest cites fictional lawyer Elle Woods
- FACT CHECK: Fake quote cards expressing support for Duterte cite fictional characters
- FACT CHECK: Vice Ganda quote card on Duterte drug war, pandemic response is fake
– Sean Guevarra/Rappler.com
Sean Guevarra is a Rappler intern. He is a senior BS Development Communication student at the University of the Philippines Los Baños and the news editor for Tanglaw, the student publication of UPLB College of Development Communication.
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