Key facts
- U.S. President Donald Trump urged International Criminal Court members to resign.
- Trump described the ICC as an "out of control institution" and an "evil group of people."
- The U.S. stated it would not allow its military personnel to face "show trials" by the ICC.
- The U.S. State Department is encouraging member states to withdraw from the court.
- Five countries have withdrawn from the ICC in the past year.
U.S. President Donald Trump has called for all members of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to resign, describing the institution as "out of control" and an "evil group of people." Trump asserted that the United States would not permit its military personnel to be subjected to what he termed "show trials" by an "anti-American tribunal."
The U.S. State Department has indicated it will encourage member states to withdraw from the court. According to the Associated Press, five countries have announced plans to withdraw from the Rome Statute in the past year: Venezuela, Chad, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger. Chad specifically cited the United States in its decision to withdraw, stating that U.S. officials had expressed concerns about the court's functioning.
The ICC, established in 2002, prosecutes individuals for war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, and the crime of aggression when national courts are unable or unwilling to do so. The court's spokesperson, Oriane Maillet, stated that the ICC regrets any decision to depart from the collective effort to end impunity for serious international crimes.