Overview
- Opening the 24th Assembly of States Parties, ICC President Tomoko Akane vowed the court will not yield to pressure from the United States or Russia.
- U.S. measures ordered in February under President Donald Trump target nine ICC officials and Palestinian groups, freezing assets and severing access to the U.S. financial system with extraterritorial banking effects.
- European governments voiced support for the court’s independence, while Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch urged states to oppose the sanctions and to consider activating the EU blocking statute.
- The Assembly is holding a first dedicated plenary on non-cooperation, spotlighting judges’ findings on Hungary’s failure to arrest Benjamin Netanyahu and recent announcements of withdrawal by several states.
- Delegates are debating the ICC’s 2026 budget as Prosecutor Karim Khan remains on extended leave pending a sexual misconduct investigation.