When justice is targeted, victims’ rights are at risk: Civil society condemns U.S. sanctions against ICC Judges

Topics
State support
Cooperation
International Criminal Court
07 July 2025

On 5 June 2025, the United States (U.S.) government sanctioned four judges of the International Criminal Court (ICC), pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 14203. 

The Coalition for the International Criminal Court (CICC) firmly denounces all actions directed against the ICC, its officials and those cooperating with it. Furthermore, the CICC calls on ICC States Parties to take a clear stand and decisive measures to protect victims’ access to justice, defending the core Rome Statute value that accountability applies to all, without exception. 

 

A grave threat to justice and accountability 

The ICC is a court of last resort for victims of genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and the crime of aggression. Its mandate, entrusted by 125 States Parties, is to ensure justice when there is nowhere else to turn. Sanctioning sitting judges for fulfilling their judicial responsibilities is a direct attack on international justice and the rule of law. Such measures threaten not only the Court’s independence, but also the rights of victims, survivors, and entire communities seeking redress for the gravest crimes. 

These measures risk emboldening impunity, undermining international accountability, and striking at the heart of the Court’s mission. These measures can severely affect the ability of the ICC to fulfil its crucial mandate in all situations where it operates. Financial institutions and service providers, wary of repercussions, may withdraw their services or sever ties with the individuals in question, or the Court as a whole, severely hindering the Court’s operations. The fallout will extend far beyond the Court itself: victims, their legal representatives, human rights defenders and civil society organisations could find themselves targeted or isolated for their pursuit of justice, ending essential work for victims’ access to redress for the worst crimes.   

 

A call to action: Protect justice, defend the Court 

The Coalition for the ICC urges all 125 States Parties to the Rome Statute to uphold their responsibility to safeguard victims’ access to justice worldwide, and to demonstrate this commitment by: 

  1. Publicly condemning and rejecting the measures without ambiguity, reaffirming their unconditional commitment to the Court’s independence and mandate. 
  2. Strengthening legal protections by adopting and/or implementing national and regional blocking statutes, such as the European Union’s Blocking Statute, to shield ICC officials and those cooperating with the Court from extraterritorial coercive measures. Blocking statutes and similar instruments can provide the Court and its partners with essential protection and send a powerful message that ICC member countries will not tolerate efforts to undermine the Court. 
  3. Fully cooperating with the ICC across all situations, equally, by executing arrest warrants, harmonising national laws with the Rome Statute, ratifying and implementing the Agreement on Privileges and Immunities of the ICC (APIC), and signing voluntary cooperation agreements with the Court. 
  4. Ensuring the protection of civil society and human rights defenders by strengthening national frameworks to protect those who support and cooperate with the Court, as they increasingly face intimidation and reprisals because of their commitment to justice. 
  5. Urging the United States to immediately halt all measures that undermine victims’ access to justice. At the same time, calling on the United States to take concrete steps toward joining the ICC and to actively support the pursuit of justice in all situations under the Court’s jurisdiction. 
  6. Anticipating and addressing new threats and attacks as they arise, thereby engaging with domestic and regional service providers to ensure uninterrupted support for the Court and prepare further protective measures to counteract the chilling effects of such sanctions. 

 

Justice cannot be silenced 

The Coalition for the ICC stands in steadfast solidarity with the Court, its officials and staff, as well as with victims and survivors, and with all those committed to a world where justice prevails over impunity. Only through immediate, united, and resolute action can the international community safeguard the integrity of international justice. 

The Coalition remains ready to work closely with States Parties, the Court, and all stakeholders to ensure that the ICC’s decisions are respected and that the Court’s independence and vital mandate are preserved. 

 

A unified stand for justice: Voices from across the system 

The Coalition welcomes and echoes the voices that have risen across the international justice community in response to the measures. See reactions to this development from around the globe:  

International Criminal Court 

  

Civil Society 

 

States Parties 

  

European Union 

  

United Nations