UN Experts Urge Global Action as US Sanctions Threaten ICC and International Justice

The latest US measures target the ICC itself, expanding pressure that had already reached more than 10 current or former Court judges and personnel, as well as one UN Special Rapporteur, under US Executive Order 14203 of 2025.

Sanctions imposed by the United States on the International Criminal Court (ICC) as an institution have prompted UN experts to call for a united defence of the Court, warning that the measures threaten access to justice for victims of atrocities. In the supplied statement, the experts describe the sanctions as an attempt to dismantle an international legal system built by states, jurists, human rights advocates and others to hold perpetrators of the gravest crimes accountable.

Their concern reaches beyond the Court's judges and prosecutors to the victims, advocates and organisations that depend on its work for justice, accountability and reparation. They are urging governments to take concrete protective measures, arguing that silence and inaction could encourage further attacks on international justice.

Sanctions Put the Court's Independence Under Pressure

The latest US measures target the ICC itself, expanding pressure that had already reached more than 10 current or former Court judges and personnel, as well as one UN Special Rapporteur, under US Executive Order 14203 of 2025.

The experts described sanctioning an institution responsible for prosecuting the gravest international crimes as an assault on the foundations of accountability and the rule of law. No country, they argued, should be able to place itself beyond legal scrutiny by intimidating or attempting to dismantle the court responsible for enforcing it.

They alleged that the sanctions seek to cripple the ICC and prevent US allies from being held accountable for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. Their appeal asks governments committed to human rights and accountability to defend the principle that no one is above the law.

Victims Face the Consequences of a Weakened Court

For people seeking justice after atrocities, pressure on the ICC carries consequences that extend beyond institutional disputes. The experts warned that the sanctions directly harm victims and their advocates, who rely on the Court to pursue accountability and reparation.

They placed the threat within the history of international criminal justice, tracing its development through Nuremberg and Tokyo and the international tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda. In their assessment, sanctions against central institutions risk dismantling, piece by piece, the system countries built to ensure that the most serious crimes do not go unanswered.

The ICC emerged through coordinated action by states across the world, the experts stressed, making its protection a shared responsibility. Allowing one country's unilateral measures to undermine that work would put the broader international justice system at risk.

Experts Call for Legal Protections Against Sanctions

The statement calls on the European Union to immediately activate its Blocking Statute to prevent European operators, including banks and service providers, from complying with third-country sanctions that the experts describe as violating international law.

They urged other countries with similar legislation to activate those protections as well, extending support to the Court, its personnel, victims and people engaging with the ICC. The inclusion of banks and service providers reflects the practical importance of protecting the services on which the institution and its work depend.

Member States were also encouraged to ratify and use the Agreement on Privileges and Immunities of the ICC to help reduce the sanctions' effects. These proposals give governments specific legal avenues to consider in responding to the pressure on the Court.

Staff and Civil Society Need Collective Support

The ICC employs citizens from about 100 countries, and the experts urged governments whose nationals work there to ensure those individuals do not bear the consequences of sanctions alone.

Their call for protection also covers civil society organisations and human rights defenders who support and cooperate with the Court, recognising that international justice depends on a wider community than the institution's own workforce.

The experts asked states to act together to protect that community and preserve the Court's independence. Their warning is that a failure to respond could embolden further attacks, weakening the ability of the international justice system to serve people seeking accountability for the gravest crimes.