Questions and Answers: U.S. Sanctions on the International Criminal Court
This resource – which should not be considered legal advice – is meant to answer key questions about the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the U.S. sanctions targeting it.
On February 6, 2025, the Trump administration issued an executive order (E.O. 14203) creating a new sanctions program focused on the ICC. The sanctions are in response to the court’s scrutiny of alleged Israeli and U.S. involvement in war crimes within the ICC’s jurisdiction.
Targeted sanctions like these are often used to impose sanctions (i.e., an asset freeze and travel ban) on some of the world’s worst human rights abusers and corrupt actors. In a perverse misuse of this tool, the new executive order instead targets the very advocates – human rights defenders, witnesses and victims, NGOs, prosecutors, and others – who work to hold alleged perpetrators to account.
Download the fact sheet below.
