Senior Reporter
Analysts and political observers are expressing concern over Trinidad and Tobago’s decision to abstain from voting on a United Nations General Assembly resolution on the International Criminal Court.
Some are questioning what this country stands to gain from the move, while others believe the abstention is the first step towards fully supporting Washington’s stance to dismantle the court.
On Monday, T&T abstained when the General Assembly considered resolution A/81/L.11, which welcomed the ICC’s annual report covering its activities from August 1, 2025, to July 31, 2026. The annual report of the ICC to the United Nations documents its activities and covers ongoing investigations, trials, and appeals across multiple situations.
The resolution was adopted with 93 countries voting in favour, 13 against and 36 abstaining.
The United States, Russia, Israel and Argentina were among those voting against the resolution.
Caribbean Community countries like Jamaica, Antigua and Dominica were not present for the vote, while Barbados and Guyana voted in favour of the resolution.
The move by T&T comes almost a week after this country voted against a UN resolution calling for an end to the US economic, commercial and financial embargo on Cuba. That vote occurred on Wednesday, October 28.
The ICC was established after late former prime minister ANR Robinson’s 1989 address to the UNGA proposing a permanent international court to confront drug trafficking, genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. T&T was the third country to sign the ICC’s founding treaty.
Washington has argued that the ICC has exceeded its authority and threatens national sovereignty.
The Trump administration has since sanctioned 17 ICC judges, prosecutors and officials. On October 9, it escalated its campaign with financial sanctions against the court itself.
Speaking with Guardian Media yesterday, political analyst Dr Winford James said that while T&T’s decision may have been influenced by the country’s relationships with powerful international players, the absence of an official explanation has left important questions unanswered.
James said voting on international resolutions is often a strategic exercise, particularly for smaller countries navigating relationships with more powerful nations.
He questioned whether the Government’s decision was influenced by a desire to avoid displeasing influential countries, particularly the United States.
He said: “The question is, how did we benefit from voting for, in the past? And the question arises now: why did this current Government abstain? In other words, they are taking a neutral position on the resolution.”
He argued that smaller and less powerful nations have a vested interest in supporting international institutions and mechanisms that promote accountability and protect them from the influence of powerful states.
“If you ask me if I were to have the authority to vote on behalf of Trinidad and Tobago, I would convince my colleagues that…as part of the initiatives of younger, smaller, weaker, less powerful nations to move forward in the world, that it would be good for us to band together and vote in support,” he said.
But he warned that smaller countries could find themselves vulnerable to the economic and diplomatic consequences of opposing powerful states.
However, James stopped short of definitively condemning the Government’s decision, saying the circumstances surrounding the abstention and its consequences must first be examined.
But Movement for Social Justice (MSJ) Political Leader David Abdulah did not hesitate to condemn T&T’s decision, describing it as another stain on the country’s international reputation.
Abdulah said the abstention was particularly troubling given this country’s historic role in bringing the ICC into existence and its longstanding connections with the institution.
He recalled that it was former prime minister and President ANR Robinson who revived the proposal for an ICC at the UN, adding that T&T continued to maintain a close relationship with the institution through its judicial contributions.
Abdulah noted that former Presidents served at the ICC, while other nationals had also held positions within the court.
He said the US position towards the ICC raised serious concerns about the institution’s future and questioned whether T&T’s abstention signalled an alignment with Washington’s position.
“The US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, said that it must be disbanded. And quite clearly, that is what they’re working towards, and Trinidad and Tobago’s abstention is the first step towards fully supporting Washington on the disbandment of the ICC,” Abdulah said.
He warned that the decision could have wider diplomatic implications, particularly as this country prepares to take up a seat on the United Nations Security Council in January.
Dookeran saddened; Browne says T&T undermined Robinson’s legacy
Former People’s Partnership minister of foreign affairs Winston Dookeran said he was saddened by T&T’s abstention, warning that the country risks distancing itself from a legacy it helped establish.
Dookeran recalled T&T’s pivotal role in advancing the idea of an international criminal court, describing it as a rare achievement for a small Caribbean nation in global diplomacy.
He said he was part of the government at the time, when then-prime minister Robinson made the push for the ICC. He said he also participated in efforts to secure support from Commonwealth countries for the initiative.
“It was a clear recognition of what a small country can do in the global politics today, and especially in the field of justice. So we prided that event for all these years,” he said.
Dookeran said Robinson deserved recognition for his foresight and determination to establish an international mechanism to hold perpetrators of serious atrocities accountable.
Against that background, Dookeran said he was particularly saddened by the Government’s decision to abstain at a time when the court’s independence is facing mounting challenges.
“So today, when I heard that our country abstained in what is a moment of great threat to this institution, I felt very saddened,” he said.
He warned that the international climate, marked by conflicts increasingly being resolved through warfare, makes the independence of institutions such as the ICC even more important.
Dookeran said reports of threats against the court and attempts to undermine its judicial independence should concern the international community.
He described the potential dismantling of the institution as one of the greatest tragedies, should those threats materialise.
His comments come as another former foreign affairs minister accused the Government of abandoning T&T longstanding support for the ICC.
Opposition Senator Dr Amery Browne criticised Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar and Foreign and Caricom Affairs Minister Sean Sobers, describing the abstention as a departure from the country’s established diplomatic position.
“Under this UNC regime, Trinidad and Tobago has gone from a longstanding position of co-sponsoring such Resolutions in the past to now turning its back on the ICC,” Browne said.
He also accused the administration of acting in subservience to a foreign agenda and undermining Robinson’s legacy. “It is a devaluation of the legacy and work of ANR Robinson who was a primary inspiration for the formation of the ICC to bring to justice individual perpetrators of Crimes Against Humanity and other terrible atrocities,” he said.
Guardian Media is awaiting a response from Foreign and Caricom Affairs Minister Sean Sobers to questions about Government’s abstention.
ICC warning
Addressing the General Assembly on Monday, ICC President Tomoko Akane warned that the court was facing an unprecedented challenge to its independence amid mounting sanctions and intimidation targeting its judges and prosecutors.
Akane, who addressed the Assembly virtually after being subjected to United States sanctions, said: “When Judges are punished for their decisions, whether through sanctions or through criminal convictions, it is not only those Judges who are targeted, but judicial independence itself,” she said.
The resolution adopted by the General Assembly condemned threats, attacks and interference against the ICC and its personnel, while welcoming the court’s annual report.
