FALSE. Judges of the International Criminal Court (ICC) walked out during the opening statement of lawyer Joel Butuyan at former president Rodrigo Duterte’s confirmation of charges hearing.
FACT. No walkout occurred, and the proceedings were only paused for a scheduled 30-minute court break.
The claim spreading on social media alleged that ICC judges left the courtroom in protest and that Butuyan’s microphone was cut off in a humiliating manner.
However, there is no evidence supporting these assertions, where there are no official transcript, court record, or verified report indicating that judges staged a walkout or sanctioned the Filipino lawyer during his remarks.
Court records show that the pause occurred at 11:00 a.m., when Presiding Judge Iulia Antoanella Motoc formally announced a half-hour recess in accordance with the hearing’s pre-approved timetable.
The break was part of the structured schedule for the confirmation proceedings and applied to all parties. Following standard procedure, the judges exited the courtroom to observe the recess and later returned. Butuyan resumed his statement after the break.
The viral narrative reframed these ordinary procedural pauses as ‘dramatic’ incidents. In reality, no walkout occurred, no microphone was forcibly cut, and the hearing continued as scheduled.
