UN — Trump Urges Countries to Leave the ICC

NEW YORK, Sept 22 /ATSH-DPA/ — U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday urged the world’s countries to leave the International Criminal Court (ICC) en masse.

“I call on all countries that are members of the ICC to immediately formally withdraw from this rogue institution,” Trump declared during his speech at the UN General Debate, describing the court as “out of control”.

The United States of America does not recognize the jurisdiction of the ICC and has stepped up the imposition of sanctions on the court and its representatives.

The court has faced great pressure from Washington, particularly because of the arrest warrant issued against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The ICC, based in The Hague, has prosecuted the most serious crimes, including genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity, since 2002.

The German government’s commissioner for human rights, Lars Castellucci, opposed Trump’s call.

“The most serious crimes must not go unpunished. That is precisely why the International Criminal Court exists,” he wrote on the social network X.

Castellucci stressed that Germany stands in support of an independent and effective ICC and will continue to back it.

Earlier, the newspaper “Wall Street Journal” reported that President Trump was preparing sanctions against the court, which could eventually lead to cutting it off from a large part of the global financial system.

The ICC intervenes only when the relevant states refuse to conduct investigations themselves or are unable to do so.

The UN Security Council can also refer cases to the court.

The International Criminal Court has 125 member states.

Besides the U.S., Israel, Russia and Turkey also do not recognize the court.

These countries have not joined the Rome Statute and do not accept the ICC’s general jurisdiction over their citizens and territory.

The ICC should not be confused with the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which is also located in The Hague.

The ICJ examines disputes between states and is the highest court of the United Nations.