Germany Backs ICC in Hague Visit as US Sanctions Loom

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul travelled to The Hague on Monday to publicly back the International Criminal Court, which is under mounting pressure from Washington. The United States has already sanctioned 13 court staff, including prosecutors and nine judges, among them ICC President Tomoko Akane of Japan. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has described the measures as part of a sweeping campaign to dismantle what he calls the threat posed by the court.

Speaking before his visit, Wadephul said Berlin fully supports the tribunal and is working to keep it operational. He framed the backing as a matter of historic responsibility, saying Germany knows from its own past where the erosion of law and humanity can lead. "Supporting the ICC is not a purely foreign policy question for Germany," he said, describing it as part of the country's duty to uphold international law.

Dutch officials, whose country hosts the court, have been briefed that sanctions could soon target the entire institution. According to diplomatic and government officials, contingency planning is under way to keep staff paid, witnesses protected and the detention facility running. Sanctions could cut the court off from financial and IT services, and even block payments to its American employees. When the court's former chief prosecutor was sanctioned in 2025, he lost access to his Microsoft email, his bank accounts were frozen and he was barred from entering the United States.

One option under discussion is the European Union's "blocking statute," which could shield European court staff by barring EU companies from complying with US measures. It remains unclear whether the statute would cover the ICC itself, since it is an international body rather than a European one. EU citizens are entitled to a basic bank account, but that does not guarantee credit cards or access to US payment systems.

Dutch Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen called the blocking statute the "nuclear option" and said the Netherlands has been coordinating with the European Commission so it can be activated quickly if needed. "We are ready for that, the commission is ready for that," he said at a news conference with Wadephul. Berendsen added that he is also in talks with Washington to try to prevent further sanctions.

The court, established in The Hague in 2002, is a last-resort body that prosecutes individuals for war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and aggression when national authorities are unable or unwilling to act. It has 125 member states. The United States, Israel, Russia, China and India have never joined.

Tensions have deepened over the court's arrest warrants for senior Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, related to the war in Gaza, as well as US opposition to investigations into its military actions in Afghanistan. In a speech to the UN General Assembly last week, President Donald Trump urged ICC member states to withdraw. Days later, Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten used the same platform to defend the court, declaring: "Hands off the ICC, and all those other institutions that protect the international legal order."