Conflict · ICC sanctions · ArchiveFour Rights Groups Sue Trump to Block ICC SanctionsAired August 11, 2026 at 5:33 PM UTCWritten September 7, 2026 at 9:22 PM UTCRead the write-upThis storyTranscript · LOADING0:00Four major American human rights groups0:02filed a federal lawsuit today to block0:04crippling US sanctions against the0:05International Criminal Court, accusing0:07the Trump administration of using0:09economic penalties to punish and choke0:10off the court's work. The plaintiffs are0:12the American Friends Service Committee,0:14the Center for Constitutional Rights,0:16Human Rights Watch, and the Open Society0:18Institute. Four prominent US0:20organizations that say the sanctions0:22force them to curtail research,0:24advocacy, and legal support for the0:26court. The lawsuit targets an executive0:28order signed in February 2025 that0:30authorized sanctions on ICC officials,0:32judges, and others supporting its0:34investigation of Israeli crimes in0:36Palestine. For those groups, the choice0:38has become immediate and practical.0:40Continued collaboration risks asset0:42freezes and penalties, while stepping0:44back means abandoning victims and losing0:46evidence at the moment documentation is0:48most critical. That Palestine0:50investigation is not stand-alone. The0:52Netherlands-based tribunal in The Hague0:54is overseeing 18 investigations into war0:56crimes and crimes against humanity. So,0:58blocking support for one case1:00reverberates across its entire docket1:02and the broader system for international1:04justice. The court sits in The Hague,1:06where judges rely on outside research1:08and legal support to document crimes and1:10preserve evidence across those cases.1:12The order at the center of the case1:14comes from the White House, and the1:16federal court must now decide whether1:17that sanctions authority can stand. This1:20account is based on a transcript of the1:22federal filing that has not yet received1:24broader independent confirmation. The1:26court must now decide whether the1:28February 2025 sanctions authority can1:30stand and whether groups supporting1:32international justice work can resume1:34without fear of punishment.1:36For more stories that matter, like and1:38subscribe.Explore with HeyDexThe shortThe short ↗