Netherlands, EU partners work to protect ICC independence amid US sanctions: Dutch foreign minister

The Netherlands and its EU partners are working to safeguard the independence of the International Criminal Court (ICC) amid US sanctions, Dutch Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen said.

“Together with our EU partners, we continue to work to protect the ICC’s independence in the face of sanctions,” Berendsen said in a post on US social media platform X.

He said he had discussed the European Commission’s role in supporting the court with European Commissioner Maria Luis Albuquerque.

“We underlined the importance of EU operators’ continued service to the ICC,” he added.

Washington imposed sanctions on the ICC on Oct. 9, hours after former ICC judge Navi Pillay was named the winner of the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize.

The court strongly rejected the sanctions, describing them as an assault on the rule of law.

It also urged its member states to take steps to ensure its continued operation.

Pillay, a South African jurist who served on the ICC’s Appeals Chamber from 2003 to 2008, received the Nobel Peace Prize for her work in international criminal justice.

The sanctions followed intensified US pressure on the court after it issued arrest warrants in November 2024 for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over war crimes in Gaza.

Washington had previously sanctioned ICC judges and prosecutors, including court President Tomoko Akane, in August.