ICC, members push back vs US sanctions

This photograph taken on March 14, 2025 shows the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague.

AFP / Nicolas Tucat

MANILA, Philippines — The International Criminal Court (ICC) and some of its member countries have pushed back against the institutional sanction imposed by the United States government against the tribunal.

In a statement, the ICC described the sanctions as an attempt to obstruct the course of justice and to prevent the Court from doing what it was created to do.

“This measure targets an independent judicial institution, created by treaty and entrusted by 125 States Parties with investigating and prosecuting genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and the crime of aggression,” the tribunal said in a statement delivered by its president, Tomoko Akane.

“It is an assault on the rule of law and on the very foundations of the international legal order which strikes at the simple principle that no one stands above the law,” it added.

The US government imposed the sanction hours after a former judge, Navi Pillay, was announced as this year’s Nobel Peace Prize winner.

According to the US State Department, the institutional sanction on the ICC would prevent US persons or those within the country from making any contribution or providing support to the tribunal.

The sanction is intended to “ban transactions” and cut off resources that could impact the tribunal’s operations. It follows the individuals sanctions imposed by the US against 13 judges and prosecutors.

Despite the sanctions, Akane said the court will continue to operate and fulfill its functions.

“The Court will 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 said.

The ICC has urged members to continue taking concrete actions to assist the institution.

“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,” it said.

In a separate statement, Bureau of the Assembly of State Parties said it regrets the sanctions imposed by the US government.

“The escalation in unprecedented use of coercive measures is a regrettable attempt to impede the Court and its personnel in the exercise of their independent judicial functions. Such actions aim to directly challenge an international legal institution painstakingly built to ensure that accountability, not impunity, prevails,” it said.

Foreign ministers of the United Kingdom, Canada, Denmark, Germany, France, Italy, Japan and the Netherlands issued a joint statement reaffirming the support of their respective countries to the tribunal.