20261017 Verhindert Sanktionen gegen IStGH

17.10.2026 Verhindert Sanktionen gegen IStGH

Protect the ICC from Trump!

As one of the three branches of government, the judiciary should always be independent of politics. This is all the more important when it comes to human rights or international law, which is currently under serious threat. U.S. President Trump treats the International Criminal Court like a terrorist organization simply because it dares to prosecute his war crimes and those of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu.

This concerns the numerous war crimes committed by the Israeli army in Gaza and southern Lebanon, as well as the war of aggression waged by the U.S. and Israel against Iran in violation of international law. The UN has now also designated the attack on the school in the southern Iranian city of Minab, which left over 160 children dead, as a war crime.

Trump wants to use sanctions to bring the ICC to its knees and cut off its funding so that it can no longer finance its operations and pay its staff. But some countries are fighting back—and we can stand with them! Germany and the Netherlands are leading the way: They are demanding that the EU prohibit European banks from implementing Trump’s sanctions, according to eko.org.

All too often, European financial institutions have caved in to Washington’s demands. This blind obedience must end, as it runs counter to fundamental European values. Under no circumstances should European heads of state and government comply with the sanctions and thereby undermine the ICC’s independence. It is unacceptable for an institution dedicated to global justice to be attacked in this way, with judges and legal experts being portrayed as international drug traffickers and terrorists — simply because they are fulfilling their mandate and defending international law.

There is a legal option available within the EU, and it must be utilized: the safeguard clause. That is why a petition from eko.org to the European Commission and EU decision-makers calls for the following:

We urge you to activate the safeguard clause to protect the ICC from Trump’s sanctions and ensure that it can continue its vital work in the field of global justice.

Sign the petition!

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)