U.S. rights groups sue Trump administration over International Criminal Court sanctions

Four US human rights groups have sued the Trump administration over its sanctions against the International Criminal Court. The groups, which include the American Friends Service Committee, the Center for Constitutional Rights, Human Rights Watch, and the Open Society Institute, claim that the sanctions are unlawful and undermine global efforts to prosecute war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The sanctions, imposed under an executive order signed by President Donald Trump, have targeted ICC judges and prosecutors, primarily over their investigations into Israel. The groups argue that the measures block victims of war crimes from pursuing justice and constitute a "blatantly illegal attack on international justice".

The lawsuit, filed in a New York court, seeks to have the sanctions struck down, citing violations of laws including First Amendment free speech protections. The groups say the restrictions cause "grave damage" to the ability to bring perpetrators of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity to justice.

Brief written by urgent.news from CBC News, Premium Times, The Guardian US, Free Malaysia Today, Associated Press — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.