German Foreign Minister Defends International Criminal Court Amid US Opposition
Germany reaffirms support for ICC's role in global justice as US intensifies campaign against the tribunal.
The German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has publicly defended the International Criminal Court (ICC) following a heightened campaign by the United States against the tribunal. In an interview with the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (RND), Wadephul emphasized the ICC's critical role in maintaining global safety and justice.
ICC's Role and German Support
According to Wadephul, the ICC has issued judgments on crimes against humanity, such as the recruitment of child soldiers, and has held perpetrators accountable. He stressed that despite potential shortcomings, these do not justify questioning the court's existence or its achievements. Wadephul highlighted the importance of protecting the ICC as an independent institution and reiterated Germany's commitment to an international judicial system and rules-based global order.
"The International Criminal Court makes the world safer and fairer," said Wadephul, underlining the court's significance despite criticisms.
Meanwhile, the European Commission also rejected US claims that the ICC threatens US sovereignty. Anwar al-Anuni, spokesperson for the Commission, stated that attacks or threats against the court or its personnel are unacceptable. He further clarified that the ICC is not aimed at sovereign states and does not pose a threat to their sovereignty.
US Campaign Against the ICC
On July 13, the US government accused the ICC in The Hague of posing an "unacceptable threat to US sovereignty" and threatened new sanctions. The US State Department's statement asserted that the ICC claims jurisdiction to prosecute and imprison US military personnel and officials acting in America's interest, against which all US presidents since the court's founding have consistently opposed. The US has not ratified the Rome Statute, which established the court.
The State Department also criticized the ICC for investigating US soldiers and intelligence personnel and refusing to close these cases, alleging the court's ambition to become an unaccountable global arbiter above national states. Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the ICC's efforts as a "war against our country—not with bullets or rockets, but through legal norms, international agreements, and the force of so-called international law."
The US campaign includes a broad range of actions: diplomatic efforts to inform other countries about alleged ICC abuses, calls to exit the court, opposition to prosecutions of American officials and military personnel, potential travel bans on ICC staff, and intensified sanctions against the court. Washington aims to systematically limit the ICC's ability to operate and threaten US sovereignty.
Notably, previous US administrations under President Donald Trump had imposed sanctions on the ICC and its officials, which were later lifted by President Joe Biden in 2021.
