US President Donald Trump has demanded that all member nations of the International Criminal Court (ICC) officially resign from the body immediately, branding the tribunal an “out-of-control” and “rogue institution”.
Addressing the United Nations on Tuesday, Trump made the explicit call for member states to quit the court as he voiced strong opposition to the tribunal.
“The United States is equally opposed to the out-of-control institution known as the International Criminal Court,” Trump said, reports ABS.
“I call on all nations that are members of the ICC to officially resign from this rogue institution immediately”.
Trump declared that Washington would “never allow US service members or anyone else to be investigated or given show-trials by an anti-American tribunal with no jurisdiction over us”.
His demand for member states to abandon the court aligns with pledges by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to dismantle the ICC “brick by brick,” having described the tribunal as an “intolerable threat to US sovereignty”.
The ICC, an organisation that tries individuals for the world’s worst crimes, drew Washington’s fury after issuing an arrest warrant for Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a close US ally.
In response to the warrant, Washington has imposed a series of sanctions on ICC officials, which has also prompted US rights groups to file lawsuits against Trump over the measures.
The United States is not an ICC member and has never ratified the Rome Statute that established the court. Israel, Russia, and China are also non-members.
