UN officials, rights groups criticise US sanctions against ICC
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk described the sanctions as "unacceptable" and an "assault on the rule of law"
United Nations officials, human rights organisations and legal experts have criticised new US sanctions against the International Criminal Court (ICC), calling for the measures to be withdrawn and warning of their implications for international justice.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk described the sanctions as "unacceptable" and an "assault on the rule of law". He urged the 125 states parties to the Rome Statute to fulfil their obligation to defend the court and protect its ability to function, says Human Rights Watch.
Türk called for the immediate withdrawal of all sanctions, warning that penalising legal authorities could allow impunity to fuel global violence and human suffering.
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The UN secretary-general has also expressed serious concern over the sanctions, while UN human rights experts have called for their complete withdrawal against ICC judges and personnel.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) described the measures as an "unprecedented assault on global justice and the rule of law".
HRW Executive Director Philippe Bolopion said the US strategy aimed to destroy the court to shield US and Israeli officials from prosecution. He said the sanctions threatened justice for victims in cases involving Palestine, Ukraine, Myanmar and Sudan.
HRW and three other human rights organisations have filed a lawsuit in US federal court seeking to overturn the sanctions regime. Human rights organisations, legal experts and former US government officials have also supported the case through friend-of-the-court briefs.
Civil society groups, including the Coalition for the ICC, have condemned the sanctions and called for international action to defend the rule of law.
The leadership body of the ICC's Assembly of States Parties and the court's presidency have also issued statements rejecting the measures. The court and its member countries are implementing measures to protect tribunal operations from potential financial and logistical interference.
The European Union and its member states, including the Netherlands, which hosts the court in The Hague, have repeatedly opposed targeting ICC personnel.
HRW has also urged the EU to activate its blocking statute to protect European operators from the extraterritorial application of US sanctions.
On the same day the sanctions were announced, the Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize to former ICC judge Navi Pillay, citing her central role in prosecuting war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.
