Countering US Assaults on the International Criminal Court

President Trump has imposed sanctions on the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) Karim Khan and several judges of the Court, expressing his dissatisfaction with the Court’s investigation of the involvement of American citizens and nationals of US allies in international crimes. This initiative potentially constitutes a crime against the administration of justice under Duch criminal law and the ICC Statute. At the NATO summit in June 2025, Trump’s assault on the Court was entirely ignored. While it is obvious that political and legal impediments would have precluded criminal investigations against him, the Netherlands would have been perfectly entitled to deny President Trump access to Dutch territory. A less spectacular and provocative solution would have been the suggestion by the Dutch government, supported by other NATO members, to move the summit to another venue. The fact that these options were not even publicly discussed is remarkable and embarrassing.