An international coalition of lawyers and legal organizations has launched a campaign to defend the International Criminal Court (ICC) amid increasing pressure from the United States. The initiative, named the 'International Initiative to Defend the International Criminal Court and Its Judges,' emerged from the Second International Legal Conference in Istanbul.
Participants at the conference, including judges, academics, and human rights experts, emphasized the need for international justice to remain independent of political interests. They called for global support to defend the ICC's independence and ensure accountability for serious violations of international law without selectivity.
The campaign follows recent statements by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who declared the Trump administration's intention to "dismantle the [International Criminal Court] brick by brick." Rubio argued that the ICC's actions constitute a "grave overreach" and threaten US sovereignty by interfering with its military and law enforcement operations.
The ICC has previously issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas leaders in relation to alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity. The court was founded in 2002 to prosecute individuals for genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity.
