FACT CHECK: Quote card of ICC prosecutor defending Duterte is fake

Claim: International Criminal Court (ICC) Deputy Prosecutor Judge Ambawtukahm Mandiaye Niang will take over as the new chief prosecutor in former president Rodrigo Duterte’s war crimes case.

Rating: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this: The post, made by the page Duterte Supporter Daily News, has garnered 7,600 reactions, 1,700 comments, and 1,100 shares as of writing. 

The post claims that Niang, who has been appointed to replace Prosecutor Karim Khan in Duterte’s case, allegedly promised to help the former president. 

The graphic also quoted Niang supposedly saying, “In accordance with Rule 34, I am committed to supporting former President Rodrigo Duterte in his pursuit of the truth and ensuring a fair examination of the facts regarding his innocence.”

Supporters of the Duterte camp flooded the post with hopeful comments that Niang will help bring the 80-year-old former president home, and urged Niang to see how “the country loves the former president.”

The facts: The supposed quote of Niang is fake, and the post itself contains several dubious details.

The name of the prosecutor who replaced Khan in Duterte’s case is not Ambawtukahm Mandiaye Niang, but Mame Mandiaye Niang. The photo used in the Facebook post also differs from the image in Niang’s profile on the ICC website.

The name “Ambawtukahm” likely originated from “Ambatukam,” a viral meme and song originating from American internet personality Dreamybull, known for his adult comedic skits and jingles widely used on the social media platform TikTok. 

The fake quote card also references an internet meme on pornography.

It is also unlikely for Niang to make a statement in support of Duterte. In October, Khan himself was disqualified from the crimes against humanity case due to a potential conflict of interest. Prior to Khan’s disqualification, Duterte’s defense attempted to disqualify him last August, citing Khan’s involvement in messages to the court from victims of Duterte’s drug war campaign.

While the page that made the post labels itself as a satirical page, numerous comments indicate that the content was successful in misleading social media users. (READ: SATIRE VS FAKE NEWS: Can you tell the difference?)

Who is Mame Mandiaye Niang?: Niang is an ICC deputy prosecutor and currently acting chief prosecutor of the ICC in Khan’s absence. He also served in various positions at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and was regional representative of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in Southern Africa.

Niang is handling Duterte’s case, who is facing three counts of widespread murder in connection with alleged crimes against humanity committed during his tenure as Davao City mayor and as Philippine president. The three counts cover 49 incident killings with 78 victims, representative of the systemic attack that makes up crimes against humanity.

Duterte is still detained at the ICC after his appeal for an interim release was denied by the appeals chamber on November 28.

Charges against the former president have not been confirmed, as Duterte’s defense has argued that he is medically and cognitively unfit to stand trial.

The ICC has contracted a panel of neuropsychiatry experts to assess Duterte’s medical condition and asked concerned parties to submit their observations on the expert panel’s report. The court entered its judicial recess on December 12 and is set to resume proceedings on January 5. 

For other developments, read Rappler’s timeline or the key dates to remember. – Lourence Angelo Marcellana/Rappler.com

Lourence Angelo Marcellana is a Rappler intern. He is a fourth-year journalism student from the Polytechnic University of the Philippines and the former Editor-in-Chief of PUP College of Communication’s The Communicator.

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