US Slaps Sanctions on International Criminal Court, Calling it a 'Rogue Court'

The Trump administration has announced sweeping sanctions targeting the International Criminal Court (ICC), which it characterizes as a “rogue court.” The move is part of an ongoing effort by the administration to dismantle the tribunal.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the ICC as a "rogue court" and urged US allies to "rein in" its activities. He warned that failure to do so would result in the US continuing its campaign to "end the ICC."

The administration's criticism of the ICC stems from its investigation into the conduct of US troops in Afghanistan and its issuance of an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Neither the United States nor Israel are signatories to the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the ICC in 2002 to prosecute war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide. Both nations reject the court's jurisdiction over their citizens.

The sanctions coincide with one of the court's former judges, Navi Pillay, being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

Rubio stated that the sanctions would "ban transactions" with the ICC, aiming to "cripple its ability to operate" by cutting off its resources. "The United States and the American people are not subject to the jurisdiction of this fake ICC," Rubio said in a video address.

However, the United Kingdom, in a joint statement with Canada, Denmark, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, and the Netherlands, reaffirmed its "continued and unwavering support" for the ICC and expressed regret and strong disagreement with the US sanctions. The G7 nations, along with Denmark and the Netherlands, acknowledged that while the ICC had taken steps to ensure its continued operation, the sanctions would "have a significant impact on the court's work."

The ICC responded by stating that the sanctions represented "an attempt to obstruct the course of justice" and an "assault on the rule of law and on the very foundations of the international legal order." The sanctions restrict the ICC's access to US-based financial services, technology companies, and the use of US dollars. US companies and individuals with business ties to the court have been given a six-month period to wind down those operations.

The court emphasized its reliance on member states, stating, "Its fate now rests also in the hands of the states that created it." The ICC called upon member states to take concrete actions to ensure the court has the necessary means to continue its work, framing the issue as a defense of the international order grounded in the rule of law. "No one should be punished for serving the cause of justice. History will judge this moment. Future generations, and above all the victims of mass atrocities, will ask how we responded when an institution created to protect them came under attack," the court stated.

ICC President Tomoko Akane affirmed that the court would "continue to fully discharge its mandate, with independence and impartiality, acting only on the basis of the law and the evidence, for the sake of the countless victims of grave crimes." She appealed to other ICC members for support, reiterating that the defense of the institution was a defense of the international legal order.

The International Federation for Human Rights also criticized the sanctions, with its president Alexis Deswaef urging the ICC's 125 member states to act collectively to protect the court, civil society, and the victims and survivors who depend on it.