ICC condemns US sanctions, warns of threat to international justice

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has strongly condemned fresh United States sanctions aimed at the court, asserting these measures endanger international justice and could impede efforts to prosecute genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. In a Friday, October 9, 2026 statement, the ICC, based in The Hague, denounced the sanctions as an unprecedented escalation in Washington's ongoing campaign against the court, following earlier sanctions against 13 independent judges and prosecutors.

The ICC argued the new measures aim to interfere with its judicial authority and intimidate those working with or for the court. "This is an assault on the rule of law and on the very foundations of the international legal order," the court emphasized, warning the actions undermine the principle that "no one stands above the law."

The court affirmed that the sanctions would not deter its operations, urging the 125 countries party to the Rome Statute to take concrete steps to safeguard its activities. ICC President Tomoko Akane affirmed the court's commitment to its responsibilities, regardless of the pressure from American sanctions. "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," Akane declared.

The court warned the sanctions could disrupt its operations and discourage cooperation from individuals and organizations in investigations. It stressed its ability to continue prosecuting serious international crimes depended partly on member states' willingness to provide necessary political and practical support. "Yet the Court cannot stand alone.

Its fate now rests also in the hands of the States that created it," the statement concluded. The ICC, established under the Rome Statute, investigates and prosecutes individuals accused of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression, under conditions set in its founding treaty. The United States, not a party to the Rome Statute, disputes the court's authority over American personnel and officials.

The latest sanctions follow President Donald Trump's address to the UN General Assembly on September 22, 2026, where he called upon ICC member countries to withdraw from the institution, describing it as "out-of-control." Trump accused the court of targeting American service members and other US citizens, stating the US would never permit its personnel to face investigation or unjust trials by an anti-American tribunal with no jurisdiction over them.

"I call on all nations that are members of the ICC to officially resign from this rogue institution immediately," Trump said. The latest measures expand the US campaign from targeting individual judicial officials to imposing sanctions against the institution itself. The ICC has urged its member states to ensure the court retains the resources needed to continue investigating and prosecuting cases, arguing the dispute extends beyond the survival of one institution.

"This is not just about defending a single institution, but about safeguarding the international order grounded upon the rule of law," the court emphasized.