Get you up to speed: ICC leaders condemn efforts to erode international legal order
The current and former presidents of the International Criminal Court’s Assembly of States Parties have condemned efforts by the Trump administration to diplomatically isolate the ICC, arguing that these actions threaten the international legal order. They asserted that maintaining support for the ICC is crucial amid pressure to withdraw from the Rome Statute and that the court is essential for prosecuting serious international crimes.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) currently has 125 member states, which are encouraged to provide political, legal, and practical support amidst rising diplomatic isolation efforts. The current president of the ICC’s Assembly of States Parties, Paivi Kaukoranta, and seven former presidents have published a joint op-ed advocating for stronger backing of the court in light of pressures from the United States.
The current and former presidents of the ICC’s Assembly of States Parties condemned governmental pressures aiming to isolate the court, asserting that such actions undermine the international legal order and called for robust support from its 125 member states. They warned that the choice between a world governed by the rule of law and one determined by political power is urgent, urging collective action to strengthen rather than dismantle international legal institutions.
What remains unclear — It is uncertain how member states will respond to calls to reinforce support for the ICC amid growing international pressure.
ICC leaders denounce diplomatic efforts to undermine international law
NewsICC leaders condemn efforts to erode international legal order
The current and former heads of the ICC’s governing body say pressure on the court threatens international law, as Washington widens sanctions and retreats from multilateral institutions.
Published On 4 Sep 20264 Sep 2026
Published On 4 Sep 20264 Sep 2026The current and former presidents of the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) governing body have said that efforts to isolate the institution diplomatically are aimed at eroding confidence in the international legal order, as US President Donald Trump’s administration has pressured countries to isolate the ICC.
“Efforts to isolate the Court diplomatically – whether by encouraging States Parties to withdraw from the Rome Statute or urging non-States Parties to join measures intended to weaken it – are aimed at eroding not only one institution, but confidence in the international legal order itself,” Paivi Kaukoranta, the current president of the ICC’s Assembly of States Parties, and seven former presidents said in a joint op-ed published on Thursday.
In the piece that appeared on the Just Security law and policy journal’s website, they argued that the ICC represented a collective decision by sovereign states to create rules for prosecuting genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and the crime of aggression. The court, they stressed, is not intended to replace national justice systems.
“The ICC is a court of last resort,” the authors wrote.
They also rejected the argument that the court necessarily undermines state sovereignty, saying that countries joining international treaties and institutions are exercising sovereignty rather than surrendering it.
Benjamin Netanyahu is wanted by the International Criminal Court, and a pot with a spoon is seen during a pro-Palestinian protest disrupting the US Consulate with noise on October 6, 2025, in Krakow, Poland. A pro-Palestinian protest takes place in front of the US Consulate in Krakow. Participants disrupt the facility with the noise of clanging pots and loudspeakers. Protesters speak about US support for Israel and, in their view, US complicity in the genocide in Gaza. The International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS) and the UN Commission declare that Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip meet the legal definition of genocide. The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court requests the issuance of an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. (Photo by Klaudia Radecka/NurPhoto via Getty Images)” fetchpriority=”low”>A poster announcing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as wanted by the International Criminal Court, on October 6, 2025, in Krakow, Poland [Klaudia Radecka/NurPhoto via Getty Images]
The statement comes as the Trump administration sanctioned ICC judges and officials and pressured countries to distance themselves from the court.
The US, which is not a member of the ICC, has strongly opposed its cases involving Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and past investigations involving US personnel.
But the current and former assembly presidents framed the dispute more broadly, warning against a world in which political power determines when international law applies.
“The choice before us is between a world based on the rule of law and one where might decides what is right,” they wrote.
They called on the ICC’s 125 member states, international and regional organisations and other supporters of international law to provide the court with political, legal and practical backing and to help governments resist pressure to weaken it. “Now is the time to strengthen the institutions that uphold international law, not dismantle them.”
A pro-Palestine protest gathers on the Main Square in Krakow, Poland, on December 21, 2024 [Klaudia Radecka/NurPhoto via Getty Images]
Washington has sanctioned Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territory, over what Secretary of State Marco Rubio described as efforts to prompt ICC action against Israeli officials.
The Trump administration has also ended US participation in the UN Human Rights Council, halted funding to UNRWA and withdrawn from UNESCO and the World Health Organization.
In January, Trump ordered the US to leave dozens more international and UN bodies, including UN Women, the UN Population Fund and the UN climate convention, saying they conflicted with US interests and sovereignty.