• Press Release

Attacks on the International Criminal Court endanger NGO workers

June 11, 2020

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Responding to United States President Donald J. Trump’s attack against the International Criminal Court, Daniel Balson, the advocacy director for Amnesty International USA said:

“The Trump administration has a well-honed pattern of undermining and all-out assaults on multilateral institutions, rather than doing the sometimes difficult, but necessary work of joining them, sustaining them, and working to improve them. Today’s announcement is yet another assault on vital institutions that help people look after one another and provide survivors of rights abuses with justice.

“The vague and open-ended language in the executive order could leave open the possibility that NGO workers, activists, foreign government officials, and others working to advance international justice may find themselves implicated by these obstructive measures.

“The ICC has investigated individuals responsible for some of the world’s most horrific crimes, including those in Myanmar, the Central African Republic, and Darfur, to name just a few. The ICC is a court of last resort; it exists to provide justice in situations where states are unwilling or unable to do so. It is a court for the people. That the Trump Administration is so committed to targeting the court speaks volumes about its lack of commitment to delivering justice to individuals, families, and communities.”

More information:

Pompeo’s remarks on the international criminal court are callous and punitive (3/18/20)

Afghanistan: ICC refuses to authorize investigation, caving into USA threats (4/12/19

Trump administration attempts to thwart International Criminal Court Investigators (3/15/19)

Media: contact Mariya Parodi, [email protected] to schedule an interviewÂ