WASHINGTON: Two US-based advocacy groups sued the Trump administration on Wednesday, arguing that sanctions imposed on the International Criminal Court violate constitutional free speech protections after US officials launched a diplomatic campaign this week aimed at dismantling the court.
President Donald Trump and other US politicians have long said that the ICC should not have the authority to investigate or prosecute Americans, particularly members of the military. On Monday, the administration said the court posed a threat to US sovereignty and pledged to expand sanctions, including travel bans for ICC staff, while increasing diplomatic pressure on the Hague-based court, drawing criticism from European allies.
In a lawsuit filed at a federal court in New York, Democracy for the Arab World Now and the Taxpayer Alliance Against Genocide sought to block Trump’s February 2025 executive order, under which sanctions have been imposed on ICC judges and prosecutors and Palestinian human rights groups who called for the court to investigate allegations that the US and Israel may have committed war crimes in Gaza.
The groups say they have refrained from filing submissions with the ICC and coordinating advocacy with those hit by the sanctions, including Francesca Albanese, the United Nations special rapporteur for Palestine, for fear of fines and potential prison terms, according to a copy of their complaint.
