THE HAGUE — The International Criminal Court’s governing body voiced regret Wednesday over the announced withdrawal of Nauru, which came as the United States steps up pressure on countries to leave the institution.
Nauru’s President David Adeang told the United Nations General Assembly last week that his Pacific island intended to quit the ICC, which he said was “of increasing irrelevance.”
At the same gathering of world leaders, US President Donald Trump had urged all ICC members “to officially resign from this rogue institution immediately.”
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has vowed to dismantle the ICC “brick by brick,” describing the court, which tries individuals for the world’s worst crimes, as an “intolerable threat to US sovereignty.”
The ICC’s Assembly of State Parties, a body representing its 125 current members, said in a statement it had “taken note of the situation with concern.”
“Decisions by States Parties to disengage from the Rome Statute (that governs the ICC) risk undermining the collective pursuit of justice and weakening global efforts to end impunity,” the statement added.
An exterior view of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, the Netherlands, September 23, 2026. EPA/REMKO DE WAAL
It takes one year after a withdrawal is officially requested for it to become effective.
Burundi and the Philippines have already left the ICC. Hungary announced it would quit the court under former nationalist premier Viktor Orban but later reversed its decision.
More recently, Chad, Venezuela, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger have all announced their intention to leave the court — these withdrawals will become effective next year.
The ICC, based in The Hague, seeks to prosecute individuals charged with war crimes, crimes against humanity, or genocide, when their own countries lack resources or willing to do so themselves.
It has sparked Trump’s wrath by issuing an arrest warrant for Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a close ally of the US president.
Washington has imposed a series of sanctions on top ICC officials and has threatened to sanction the entire institution, which would severely restrict its ability to function.
