Sanctions against ICC limit cooperation with aid organisations
According to RTL Nieuws, at least twenty human rights organisations have limited or ended their cooperation with the International Criminal Court.
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According to RTL Nieuws, at least twenty human rights organisations have ended their cooperation with the International Criminal Court in The Hague. The reason is US sanctions against the court and organisations that work with it.
The US government imposed sanctions on the International Criminal Court as an institution on 9 October. Individual judges, prosecutors, staff members and Palestinian human rights organisations had already been targeted by US measures.
The sanctions restrict US individuals and companies from providing services to designated individuals and institutions. Non-US organisations may also risk so-called secondary sanctions if they continue working with parties on the US sanctions list.
According to a report published by RTL Nieuws and taken over by other Dutch media, at least twenty human rights organisations have since halted their cooperation with the court. It has not been independently confirmed exactly which activities the organisations involved have ended or limited.
The Coalition for the International Criminal Court warns that European banks, technology companies and insurers may refuse services as a precaution. According to the coalition, this could affect investigations, court hearings, reparations for victims and witness protection.
The European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights calls the US measures an escalation of pressure on the court. The organisation says that, with the sanctions, the United States is targeting not only the ICC itself but also the civil-society network that helps victims and gathers information about possible international crimes.
The scale of the organisations’ withdrawal was not independently confirmed in the public sources available for this article. However, the sanctions, the legal risks and the call for the European Union to protect the court have been documented separately. The issue is directly relevant to the Netherlands because the ICC is based in The Hague and the Netherlands is its host country.
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One story, several perspectives
What is established
- The United States has imposed sanctions on the ICC as an institution.
- People and organisations connected to the court had already been sanctioned.
- Human rights organisations warn of consequences for legal and financial services.
- The Coalition for the ICC is calling on the EU to activate the Blocking Statute.
Left
Arguments According to this approach, sanctions against an international court and organisations collecting evidence for victims threaten access to justice and can shield powerful states from scrutiny.
Values International equality before the law, human rights and the protection of victims.
Consequences European countries should protect the court legally, financially and practically, even if this creates tensions with Washington.
Centre
Arguments The court’s independence must be protected, but European countries must at the same time carefully assess how they can legally respond to extraterritorial US measures.
Values The rule of law, multilateral cooperation and predictable institutions.
Consequences A coordinated European response could support the court, but could also lead to a prolonged dispute over jurisdictions and sanctions rules.
Right
Arguments From a legal perspective, it can be argued that the ICC exceeds its authority when it investigates US or Israeli citizens without the consent of the United States. From this perspective, sanctions are a means of protecting national sovereignty.
Values National jurisdiction, democratic accountability and restraint towards international institutions.
Consequences The court may become less effective, but supporters of this line see that as an incentive for clearer limits on jurisdiction and reform.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved with corrections · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The text distinguishes between independently confirmed sanctions and the independently unverified claim about twenty organisations. The wording about organisations withdrawing is therefore attributed to RTL Nieuws.
- confirmed The United States imposed sanctions on the ICC as an institution on 9 October 2026. — Confirmed by ECCHR and the Coalition for the ICC. source
- confirmed Non-US service providers may risk secondary sanctions. — Described in ECCHR’s legal and institutional explanation. source
- uncertain At least twenty organisations have stopped cooperating. — Reported only through a referral to RTL Nieuws; not independently confirmed. source
1 correction(s) applied
- Was: At least twenty human rights organisations have stopped cooperating with the International Criminal Court.Now: According to RTL Nieuws, at least twenty human rights organisations have stopped cooperating with the International Criminal Court. (The claim could not be independently confirmed.)
Editor's note
The sanctions and the risks described have been confirmed by institutional sources. The precise number of at least twenty organisations comes from a referral to RTL Nieuws and could not be independently verified.Sources
- Mensenrechtenorganisaties stoppen samenwerking met Strafhof door sancties VS — Nieuwskoerier.nl, verwijzend naar RTL Nieuws
- Joint statement: States Must Act Now to Protect the International Criminal Court from Unlawful US Attacks — European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights
- Coalition for the ICC calls for activation of the EU Blocking Statute — Coalition for the International Criminal Court
More on this in Dutch media
- RTL Nieuws — „internationaal strafhof”
- NOS — „internationaal strafhof”
- Het Parool — „internationaal strafhof”