No, this video doesn't show that a “crimes against humanity” trial is coming next year

A video clip of Malcolm Roberts, a senator from Australia, talking about the COVID-19 pandemic is circulating on social media with text that appears to announce a big legal move. 

"Nuremberg 2.0 crimes against humanity trial starts Jan 2023," the Oct. 23 Instagram post says. 

"It’s become clear that people in this country and globally have been steamrolled," Roberts says in the clip. "It is also clear that it has been coordinated globally. It is also clear that it has been integrated not just over six months, not just over 2.5 years, but it has been planned over decades. The changes to legislation in this country were done so that they could control doctors and people." Roberts also says "the people that are guilty" will be held accountable. 

This post was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.)

Nuremberg 2.0 is shorthand among conspiracy theorists for the criminal prosecution of world leaders for "supposedly engineering a false pandemic," Vice has reported. It’s also a reference to the Nuremberg trials of Nazi leaders after World War II.

As we’ve previously reported, the Nuremberg Code is a set of ethical rules for conducting human experiments created after World War II that includes the principle that humans should not be involuntarily subjected to medical experiments. It has been regularly cited in pandemic misinformation, including in debunked claims that COVID-19 vaccinations are a violation of the code.

What’s more, contrary to Roberts’ claims in the video, the COVID-19 pandemic wasn’t fabricated. In 2020, efforts to downplay and deny its existence earned PolitiFact’s "Lie of the Year." 

Featured Fact-check

Viral image

stated on October 15, 2024 in a Threads post

Photo shows Vice President Kamala Harris and Sean “Diddy” Combs.

The video in the Instagram post shows an August event involving Roberts that was called "The COVID Inquiry 2.0." Some speakers at the event were critical of the government’s pandemic restrictions and COVID-19 vaccine mandates. But it isn’t a sign that a crimes against humanity trial starts in January.

We found no news reports, press releases or other sources to suggest a "crimes against humanity trial" is looming. The International Criminal Court investigates and tries individuals charged with crimes against humanity, among other offenses, and its prosecutor relies on the cooperation of countries around the world for support in making arrests and enforcing sentences.   

We rate this post False.