ICC judge not spared from fake news

People praised her “no-nonsense” and “surgical” handling of former president Rodrigo Duterte’s first appearance at the International Criminal Court, but ICC Presiding Judge Iulia Motoc also found herself on the receiving end of the vitriol of Duterte supporters.

- JANVIC MATEO

In some cases, Motoc – a professor of international law and a seasoned human rights lawyer – even became the target of false information and misleading posts online.

Immediately after the hearing last Friday, some supporters of the former president questioned her credibility to preside over the hearing, supposedly because she cannot speak English, the language that Duterte can understand.

But ICC documents showed that Motoc, in fact, is proficient in five languages: her mother tongue Romanian, English, French, Spanish and Italian.

The ICC has six official languages: English, French, Arabic, Chinese, Russian and Spanish.

The proceedings were translated to English for Duterte and his counsel, former executive secretary Salvador Medialdea. The charges were also read in English.

Another false claim directed at Motoc was her supposed link to the Marcos family. One photo circulated showing First Lady Liza Marcos with a group of women.

Some claimed that Motoc and a fellow ICC judge, Socorro Flores Liera of Mexico, were among those in the photo. This is not true as the women photographed with the first lady were identified as Filipinos and not the ICC judges.