Overview
- Opening the ICC’s 24th Assembly in The Hague, Judge Tomoko Akane told 125 member delegations the court would not accept pressure and described unprecedented attacks on its independence.
- Nine ICC officials, including six judges and the prosecutor, were sanctioned by President Donald Trump over probes involving Israel and the United States, with those officials placed on lists typically used for terrorists and narcotraffickers and facing restricted banking even in ICC member states.
- Moscow issued arrest orders targeting ICC personnel—including nine judges and the court’s Presidency—after the warrant for Vladimir Putin, and Russian authorities have pursued proceedings in absentia.
- Court officials said the measures have disrupted personal lives and hindered work across investigations as the Assembly takes up budget approval and resource pressures.
- Prosecutor Karim Khan has stepped aside temporarily pending an internal inquiry into alleged improper conduct, which he denies, while the court continues pursuing warrants including those for Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant.