Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN) has joined more than 100 civil society organizations, legal experts, former diplomats, scholars, and advocates in calling on the U.S. government to end its campaign to undermine the International Criminal Court (ICC).
The joint statement urges the administration to withdraw its policy of targeting the Court, refrain from actions that interfere with its independence or discourage lawful cooperation with it, and reaffirm the United States' longstanding commitment to justice, accountability, and the rule of law.
Read the full statement and the complete list of organizational and individual signatories below.
Support the ICC as a Vital Court of Last Resort for Victims of Grave International Crimes
As of July 17, 2026, more than 100 organizations and individuals have joined the below statement. Additional signatories will be added on a rolling basis.
As US organizations from across civil society—including legal, human rights, faith-based, humanitarian, academic, and democracy organizations—alongside advocates for victims and survivors of atrocity crimes, prominent scholars, legal practitioners, diplomats, and civil servants, we are alarmed by the US administration's announced campaign to "dismantle" and "systematically disable" the International Criminal Court (ICC), including reported threats of consequences for states that continue to support or cooperate with the Court.
As the country commemorates the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, we are reminded that the American experiment rests on an enduring principle: that no one is above the law. An independent judiciary, the rule of law, and equal justice under law are values the United States has long championed both at home and abroad.
The United States played a defining role in the early development of international criminal justice. US Supreme Court Justice Robert H. Jackson and Nuremberg prosecutor Benjamin B. Ferencz, a lifelong champion of international justice, including the ICC, and the promise of "Never Again," promoted the enduring principle that the gravest crimes must be met with accountability under the law. That commitment continued through US support on a bipartisan basis for accountability efforts before dedicated courts set up to address grave crimes committed in the former Yugoslavia, Rwanda, and Sierra Leone. And it continued to support the work of the ICC in countries including Sudan and Ukraine.
The ICC is an independent and impartial judicial institution created by states to investigate and prosecute genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression, consistent with the principle that such crimes should not go unpunished. These are the only crimes within its jurisdiction. As a court of last resort, it reinforces—rather than replaces—the primary responsibility of states to investigate and prosecute these crimes. Efforts to intimidate, weaken, or dismantle the Court undermine confidence in the administration of justice and the international legal system itself. Most critically, they break a promise to victims and survivors that justice can prevail over impunity for crimes that shock the conscience of humanity and that no one is above the law.
We are concerned by any effort to pressure states for honoring the international legal commitments they have undertaken. The ICC has jurisdiction when a citizen of a non-state party commits crimes within its mandate on the territory of an ICC state party. US citizens who commit crimes abroad are subject to the jurisdiction of foreign courts. This is a well-established principle of international law.
We also express our solidarity with the judges, legal professionals, civil society organizations, and others who serve the cause of international justice with professionalism, independence, and fidelity to the law.
We urge the administration to withdraw this policy; refrain from actions that undermine the independence and functioning of the International Criminal Court or seek to discourage lawful cooperation with it; and reaffirm the longstanding commitment of the United States to justice, accountability, and the rule of law. July 17, International Justice Day, marks the adoption of the Rome Statute of the ICC. We reaffirm our commitment to accountability for atrocity crimes, to judicial independence, and the rule of law. We urge the US government to uphold that legacy.
SIGNATORIES (as of July 17, 2026)
Organizational Signatories
- Advocacy Network for Justice and Peace (ANJP)
- The Alliance for Diplomacy and Justice
- American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
- American Jewish World Service
- Americans for Democratic Action
- Amnesty International USA
- Center for Constitutional Rights
- Center for Development of International Law
- Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR)
- Center for International Policy
- Center for Justice and Accountability
- Center for Truth and Justice (CFTJ)
- Charity & Security Network
- Citizens for Global Solutions-Education Fund
- The Cora di Brazzà Foundation
- cylindr magazine
- Defending Rights & Dissent
- Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN)
- Ensaaf
- Friends Committee on National Legislation
- The Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security
- Global Justice Center
- Human Rights First
- Human Rights Watch
- Human Security Project
- ImPact Coalition on Strengthening International Judicial Institutions
- Indigenous Environmental Network
- International Action Network for Gender Equity & Law (IANGEL)
- International Criminal Court Alliance
- Latin American Working Group (LAWG)
- The Lawyers Committee on Nuclear Policy (LCNP)
- Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns
- New Lines Institute
- NH Peace Action Education Fund
- Peace Action
- Presbyterian Church (USA), Office of Public Witness
- The Reckoning Project
- StoptheDrugWar.org
- Syria Justice and Accountability Centre
- United Church of Christ
- United Nations Association of Greater Philadelphia
- Western States Legal Foundation
- Whitestone Legal Advocacy
- World Federalist Movement-Institute for Global Policy
- World Without Genocide
Individual Signatories
- Enid H. Adler, Esq
- Edward Aguilar
- Kirby Anwar, Visiting Associate Professor, CUNY School of Law
- Hon. Lloyd Axworthy
- Hon. Dr. Teta Banks
- Patricia Barajas
- Marisa R. Bassett, former Assistant Appeals Counsel, ICTY and IRMCT
- Hala L. Bouhafa
- Mike Brand, Director of the Human Security Project and Adjunct Professor of Mass Atrocities and International Law
- Nancy Bremeau, Commissioner, Santa Clara County Commission on the Status of Women
- Alison Brown
- Thalia R. Brown, Founder and CEO, The Authentic Discussion
- Dr. John Burroughs
- Sean Butler, International Criminal Court Alliance
- Jacqueline Cabasso, Western States Legal Foundation
- Andrea Carlise, Attorney-at-Law
- Linda Carter, Professor of Law Emerita
- Roger S. Clark, Professor
- Donna Cline, International Criminal Lawyer
- Lawrence Elias Couch
- David M. Crane, Founding Chief Prosecutor UN Special Court for Sierra Leone
- Tad Daley, Executive Director, Americans for Democratic Action
- Tom Dannenbaum, Professor of Law
- Christian De Vos, Visiting Assistant Professor, CUNY School of Law
- Jocelyn Getgen Kestenbaum, Professor, Cardozo Law School
- Maria Gevorgyan, Center for Truth and Justice (CFTJ)
- Jennifer Glaudemans, Attorney-at-Law
- Jonathan Hafetz, Professor of Law
- Rebecca Hamilton, Professor of Law, American University, Washington College of Law
- Sarah Elaine Harrison, Former Associate General Counsel, Department of Defense
- Kimberly Hart, former Human Rights Team Lead at USAID
- Ellen Kennedy, Executive Director, World Without Genocide
- Celeste Kmiotek, Human Rights Lawyer
- Martha Kruse
- Winston E. Langley, Professor Emeritus, University of Massachusetts Boston
- David Mandel-Anthony, Former Deputy to the Ambassador at Large, Office of Global Criminal Justice, U.S. Department of State
- Savanna Mapelli
- Dr. Hope Elizabeth May, The Cora di Brazzà Foundation
- Dr. Jacqueline R. McAllister, Chair of International Studies, Associate Professor of Political Science, Kenyon College
- Alice McCarthy
- Wambura Moenga, International Human Rights Lawyer
- Chris Morssink, United Nations Association of Greater Philadelphia
- Priyanka Motaparthy, Clinical Professor of Law
- Gissou Nia, Human Rights Lawyer
- William Pace, Executive Director, Center for Development of International Law, Founding Convener, Coalition for the ICC
- Jessica Peake, Director, International & Comparative Law Program at UCLA School of Law
- Jessica Pierson
- Alka Pradhan, Professor
- Emily Prey, New Lines Institute
- Stephen J. Rapp, Former US Ambassador-at-Large for Global Criminal Justice
- Jana Ramsey, Former Senior Policy Advisor, State Department
- Nicole Rangel, Human Rights and International Justice Expert
- D. Wes Rist, former Atrocity Prevention Policy Advisor, U.S. Department of State
- Susanne Riveles
- Gabor Rona, Professor, Cardozo Law School
- Alberto Saldamando, Indigenous Environmental Network
- Michael Scharf, President of the American Branch of the International Law Association
- Elizabeth Shafer, The Lawyers' Committee on Nuclear Policy
- Rajika Shah, Director, Justice for Atrocities Clinic, LMU Loyola Law School
- Rebecca A. Shoot, Co-Convener, ImPact Coalition on Strengthening International Judicial Institutions
- Timothy Slade, Filmmaker
- Sung Sohn
- Jane Stromseth, Francis Cabell Brown Professor of International Law Emerita, Georgetown University Law Center
- Jennifer Trahan, Professor, NYU Center for Global Affairs
