US rights groups file new legal challenge to sanctions campaign against ICC

Four US-based human rights groups have filed a new lawsuit in the United States challenging the Trump administration's sanctions campaign against the International Criminal Court. The case was filed on Tuesday and argues that the measures go beyond presidential authority and interfere with constitutionally protected rights. It is the latest legal challenge to a policy that has drawn criticism from rights advocates and international law experts.

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The plaintiffs are the American Friends Service Committee, the Centre for Constitutional Rights, Human Rights Watch and the Open Society Institute. They say the sanctions against the court and organisations that cooperate with it force them to curtail a wide range of human rights and legal work. According to the complaint, that amounts to violations of free speech and due process rights under the US Constitution.

The lawsuit also says the administration relied on what Human Rights Watch described as a pseudo national emergency with no basis in fact. Joyce Ajlouny, general-secretary of the American Friends Service Committee, said the US government's efforts to dismantle the court and punish people seeking justice for grave human rights violations harm more than the individuals and groups facing sanctions. She said the executive order was intended to intimidate human rights defenders and deter people from advocating for the rights and dignity of others.

The case matters because it adds a fresh domestic legal challenge to a broader dispute over the reach of US sanctions and the independence of the International Criminal Court. The court is a permanent international tribunal that investigates and prosecutes genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity when national authorities are unwilling or unable to act. The sanctions campaign has raised questions about whether the executive branch can penalise groups for supporting international accountability efforts.

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The administration escalated its approach to the court after taking office last year, issuing a sweeping executive order in February 2025. That order authorised sanctions against the court's prosecutors, judges and other officials, as well as individuals or groups that support its investigations. The order cited the court's arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over alleged war crimes in Gaza and an investigation into possible abuses in Afghanistan, including by US military and intelligence personnel.

The new filing adds to several earlier legal challenges that made similar claims about the sanctions regime. It also comes as the broader dispute over the court's work continues to affect organisations that cooperate with it. What remains unclear is how quickly the court will consider the case and whether the administration will defend the sanctions in court or adjust its policy.

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