NewzUNITED NATIONS (AP) — Human Rights Watch and three other advocacy groups sued the Trump administration on Tuesday to challenge its campaign against the International Criminal Court, arguing that sanctions against ICC judges and prosecutors are undermining the ability to prosecute people responsible for humanity’s worst crimes.The complaint — filed in the Southern District of New York — says that President Donald Trump's executive order last year targeting the Hague-based criminal court and the U.S. human rights expert and three Palestinian rights groups represent a “blatantly illegal attack on international justice and should be struck down," according to a press release.The lawsuit is the latest example of organizations pushing back on what they call the Trump administration’s efforts to undermine international law and prevent efforts to combat impunity by governments around the world.“The fact that so many leading human rights and humanitarian organizations have come together to challenge Trump’s unlawful executive order demonstrates the widespread harm it is causing across civil society groups dedicated to bringing those responsible for grave crimes to justice,” said Andrew Loewenstein of Foley Hoag LLP, the lead counsel representing the plaintiffs.The groups assert that the financial and legal penalties against the ICC have forced them to “curtail a wide range of human rights and legal work in violation of their First and Fifth Amendment rights under the US Constitution and under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.”Other organizations joining the lawsuit are the American Friends Service Committee, the Center for Constitutional Rights and the Open Society Institute. The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.Efforts to retain the global tribunal's power come as the ICC faces enormous pressure, both internally and from its more than 120 member states.
last year was Karim Khan, who was the ICC’s chief prosecutor until he was removed from the post last month, nearly two years after sexual misconduct allegations against him first emerged, as detailed in stories by The Associated Press.The Trump administration had issued those sanctions against Khan and a dozen other ICC staff in retaliation for warrants the court has issued for top Israeli officials, includin… Human Rights Watch and three other advocacy groups sued the Trump administration on Tuesday to challenge its campaign against the International Criminal Court. Human Rights Watch and three other advocacy groups have sued the Trump administration to challenge its campaign against the International Criminal Court
The Trump administration, which rejects the ICC's authority, has imposed travel bans and asset freezes on several judges and prosecutors, primarily over their investigations into key US ally Israel. (EPA Images pic)NEW YORK: Rights groups on Tuesday sued US President Donald Trump over his sanctions targeting the International Criminal Court, saying the measures block victims of war crimes from pursuing justice.The Trump administration, which rejects the ICC's authority, has imposed travel bans and asset freezes on several judges and prosecutors, primarily over their investigations into key US ally Israel.In a New York court filing, four groups including Human Rights Watch said the sanctions should be struck down as they violate laws including First Amendment free speech protections."This is an unlawful abuse of power constituting a frontal attack on the rule of law, the independence of judges, prosecutors, and lawyers, basic precepts undergirding the international legal order, and the principle of equal access to justice," the lawsuit states.The 101-page complaint says the restrictions "cause grave damage to the ability to bring to justice the perpetrators of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity."The US sanctions, issued under an executive order Trump signed in February 2025, have targeted eight judges, three prosecutors, a UN expert and three human rights organisations.The UN and the EU previously urged Trump to reverse penalties against ICC officials.Many of the measures were directly linked to an arrest warrant that The Hague-based court issued for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the war in Gaza.Washington has also criticised ICC probes into alleged abuses during the US-led war in Afghanistan.'Irreparable harm'Tuesday's complaint, filed by HRW, American Friends Service Committee, Center for Constitutional Rights and Open Society Institute, says the sanctions have caused "profound and irreparable harm."It states that the four groups have been forced to stop fully engaging with the ICC due to fears of civil or criminal penalties, and of being designated for sanctions themselves.Alongside Trump, the lawsuit names secretary of state Marco Rubio, treasury secretary Scott Bessent, attorney general Todd Blanche, and Bradley Smith, director of the Office of Foreign Assets Control.Established in 2002, the ICC prosecutes individuals acc… The complaint — filed in the Southern District of New York — says that President Donald Trump’s executive order last year targeting the Hague-based criminal court and the U.S.
The lawsuit is the latest example of organizations pushing back on what they call the Trump administration’s efforts to undermine international law and prevent efforts to combat impunity by governments around the world. “The fact that so many leading human rights and humanitarian organizations have come together to challenge Trump’s unlawful executive order demonstrates the widespread harm it is causing across civil society groups dedicated to bringing those responsible for grave crimes to justice,” said Andrew Loewenstein of Foley Hoag LLP, the lead counsel representing the plaintiffs. The groups assert that the financial and legal penalties against the ICC have forced them to “curtail a wide range of human rights and legal work in violation of their First and Fifth Amendment rights under the US Constitution and under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.” Other organizations joining the lawsuit are the American Friends Service Committee, the Center for Constitutional Rights and the Open Society Institute.
Efforts to retain the global tribunal’s power come as the ICC faces enormous pressure, both internally and from its more than 120 member states. The Trump administration had issued those sanctions against Khan and a dozen other ICC staff in retaliation for warrants the court has issued for top Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, over the war in Gaza and invest… Lawsuit challenges executive order targeting international criminal court for investigating Israeli crimes in PalestineFour prominent US human rights organizations have accused the Trump administration of using its “crippling” sanctions regime against the international criminal court (ICC) to undermine global efforts to prosecute war crimes and crimes against humanity.In a lawsuit filed in federal court on Tuesday, the groups – the American Friends Service Committee, the Center for Constitutional Rights, Human Rights Watch and the Open Society Institute – argued that the administration’s targeting of the ICC, as well as of groups and individuals affiliated with it or assisting its work, amounts to a “blatantly illegal attack on international justice”, the groups said.
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