CICC Urges President Trump to Stop Threatening ICC

April 9, 2020

The Hague — The Coalition for the International Criminal Court (CICC) wrote to U.S. President Donald J. Trump to urge him to “lift all sanctions against the ICC Prosecutor and disavow the increasing threats against other ICC staff and their families made by Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo” in a letter dated March 27, 2020.

“The current U.S. policy of undermining judicial institutions and punishing those who dedicate their lives to fighting impunity patently goes against U.S. values,” said Ricardo Izquierdo, Legal Officer at the CICC.

The Coalition’s letter recalled the role of the U.S. and its allies in laying the building blocks of the modern international criminal justice system by establishing the International Military Tribunals after World War II.

“[W]e are appalled that your administration has decided to undermine the ICC, an international criminal tribunal that expanded upon the principles and legacy of Nuremberg, with sanctions,” wrote the CICC in the letter.

The letter, which was also sent to U.S. Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo, further calls on the U.S., particularly as a Permanent Member of the U.N. Security Council, to “adopt a responsible foreign policy that promotes peace, security, and justice in the world.”

Naureen KhanCommunications Officer