Sanctions cannot silence justice: Civil society condemns new U.S. measures against ICC Judges and Deputy Prosecutors

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Global justice for atrocities
A strong International Criminal Court
22 August 2025
Author: 
Coalition for the International Criminal Court (CICC)

On 20 August 2025, the United States (U.S.) government announced new designations for sanctions against International Criminal Court (ICC) Judges Kimberly Prost (Canada) and Nicolas Guillou (France), as well as Deputy Prosecutors Nazhat Shameem Khan (Fiji) and Mame Mandiaye Niang (Senegal).  

These measures build on the earlier sanctions against the ICC Prosecutor and four ICC judges, forming part of a clear campaign of pressure and obstruction against the Court. They seek to intimidate the ICC's elected officials and, more gravely, to strip victims of their right to justice. By targeting judges, prosecutors, and those who cooperate with the Court, these measures strike at the heart of international justice itself and assault the fundamental principle that no one is above the law. 

The Coalition for the International Criminal Court (CICC) and more than 150 of its member organisations worldwide have consistently and strongly opposed all efforts by the United States to impose sanctions related to the ICC. We call on all ICC States Parties to move beyond words and take decisive measures to defend the Court, its elected officials, and its staff, as well as the civil society organisations and human rights defenders who stand at the frontlines of justice. Protecting those who make the Rome Statute system work is not optional, it is a duty owed to victims of international crimes, wherever they may be. 

 

A dangerous precedent 

As the Presidency of the Assembly of States Parties notes, these sanctions are “an affront to the independence of the Court and the integrity of the Rome Statute system. Such actions risk hampering ongoing investigations and undermining global efforts to ensure accountability for the gravest crimes of concern to the international community.” 

By singling out judges and deputy prosecutors, these measures deepen an alarming precedent: the use of economic and political coercion to interfere with an independent court. Such steps not only threaten the integrity of ongoing investigations but also weaken the collective fight against impunity and embolden those who commit the gravest crimes. 

The consequences reach beyond The Hague. When the Court is hindered, it is victims and survivors, seeking justice for genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and aggression, who bear the cost. Civil society, lawyers, and human rights defenders working with the Court also face heightened risks and restrictions simply for upholding international justice. These sanctions create a chilling effect, signaling to perpetrators and enablers of atrocity crimes that they may act without fear of consequence, while punishing those who defend the rule of law. 

 

The time to act is NOW

The Coalition for the ICC calls upon all 125 States Parties to the Rome Statute to uphold their responsibility to safeguard victims’ access to justice and to demonstrate this commitment through decisive measures: 

  • Condemn unequivocally and publicly the sanctions and reaffirm support for the independence of the Court. 

  • Strengthen legal protections by adopting and/or implementing national and regional blocking statutes, such as the European Union’s Blocking Statute, to shield ICC officials and those cooperating with the Court from extraterritorial coercive measures. Such instruments send a powerful message that ICC member states will not tolerate efforts to undermine the Court. 

  • Guarantee full cooperation with the ICC across all situations, equally, including by executing arrest warrants, harmonising national laws with the Rome Statute, ratifying and implementing the Agreement on Privileges and Immunities of the ICC (APIC), and signing voluntary cooperation agreements. 

  • Ensure protection for civil society organisations and human rights defenders by strengthening national frameworks to protect those who support and cooperate with the Court, as they increasingly face intimidation and reprisals for their commitment to justice. 

  • Urge the United States to immediately halt all measures undermining victims’ access to justice, to rescind existing sanctions, and to take concrete steps toward joining the ICC and supporting the pursuit of justice in all situations under its jurisdiction. 

  • Anticipate and address new threats and attacks by engaging with domestic and regional service providers to ensure uninterrupted support for the Court, and by preparing further protective measures to counteract the chilling effects of sanctions. 

  

Justice will endure, even in the face of pressure and intimidation 

These escalating sanctions strike not only at ICC officials, but at the very foundations of international justice and the rights of victims everywhere. In these challenging times, the international community must reaffirm its collective commitment to the rule of law and to the principle that that no one is beyond the reach of accountability. 

The Coalition for the ICC stands in unwavering solidarity with the Court, its elected officials, staff, and with all victims, survivors, and human rights defenders and others, who work tirelessly to make justice a lived reality. States must now demonstrate, through decisive action, that the rule of law cannot be bent by intimidation. 

 

A united response for justice 
The Coalition aligns itself with the principled statements voiced across the international justice community in response to these measures. Read reactions from across the globe: 

International Criminal Court 

 

Civil Society 

 

States Parties 

 

European Union 

 

United Nations  

 

 

Consult previous statements by the Coalition for the International Criminal Court 

Image: © ICC-CPI