Donald Trump urged countries to leave the International Criminal Court, but Naoero was the only one to announce a withdrawal during the UN General Assembly this week. President David Adeang said it would formally withdraw, citing the court’s “increasing irrelevance.”
The United States says the Hague-based court overreaches by claiming jurisdiction over people from countries, including the US and Israel, that have not ratified its founding Rome Statute. Washington has imposed financial sanctions and visa bans on ICC staff; sources familiar with the matter say officials have prepared further sanctions that could impair the court’s operations.
Since Secretary of State Marco Rubio launched a campaign in July to dismantle the ICC, Venezuela and Chad have announced plans to withdraw; Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger announced their exits last year. The EU has rallied behind the court and discussed a blocking statute in response to potential US sanctions. Japan called the proposed sanctions “very unfortunate” and sent an official to The Hague to discuss support for ICC President Tomoko Akane, who is under US sanctions.
