International civil liberties coalition defends ICC amid US dismantling efforts – JURIST
International Network of Civil Liberties Organizations (INCLO) on Friday releasing a statement defending the International Criminal Court (ICC) following the announcement of a campaign by the United States Department of State that seeks to systematically paralyze the court.
The network reiterated that the court, created by Rome Statuteis an independent and impartial judicial institution that holds accountable the perpetrators of atrocities such as genocide and crimes against humanity. He also emphasized that the court is the last resort in maintaining peace and the international rule of law, albeit with drawbacks such as its protracted process, limited enforcement jurisdiction and selectivity. The network urged all states to express public support for the court, adopt measures to protect the court from US sanctions and fulfill its mandate.
Last week US Secretary of State Marco Rubio he vowed in a Wall Street Journal op-ed to split the court “brick by brick, if necessary” to shield American veterans from ICC jurisdiction. Since the US is not a charter state, “dismantling efforts” could include travel restrictions and expanded sanctions against ICC personnel and affiliated organizations. INCLO has held that the court cannot exercise jurisdiction over a non-member state. The administration of US President Donald Trump sanctioned Judges and prosecutors of the ICC for issuing a arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the same reasons. In response, three judges of the ICC unsuspecting administration in a domestic court last month, arguing that Trump exceeded the president’s authority to authorize sanctions.
In addition, two US-based advocacy groups GOING another lawsuit in a local court on Wednesday. The lawsuit argued that the sanctions impede members of the ICC and the UN in their ability to participate in the protection of human rights related to Palestine, thereby violating The First Amendment rights.
Established in 2002, the ICC has 125 state parties. The court previously convicted the commander of the African rebel group the Lord’s Resistance Army Dominic Ongwen and Sudanese militia leader Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman for the atrocities committed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Darfur respectively. Last week, it also confirmed jurisdiction over the commander of the Libyan armed group Khaled Mohamed Ali El Hisri on his alleged role in committing serious human rights violations. In November, the court will begin the trial of the former president of the Philippines Rodrigo Duterte in his deadly “war on drugs” campaign, which resulted in thousands of extrajudicial killings.
This is not the first time that the US has threatened or imposed sanctions on the court. Member states have expressed their “unwavering support” for the court’s operations at least twice. IN June 2024 The Republican-controlled House of Representatives passed a bill forcing former President Joe Biden to sanction the court, and President Trump authorized the sanction in February 2025.
The network includes 15 local rights groups, such as ACLU AND Canadian Civil Liberties Association.
