A US federal court has blocked the Trump administration from imposing sanctions on two human rights organisations that maintain links with the International Criminal Court (ICC), ruling that the government’s actions would unconstitutionally restrict freedom of speech.US District Judge Jesse Furman issued a preliminary injunction, finding that federal restrictions on providing services to ICC officials targeted by sanctions amounted to content-based regulation of speech. The government, he said, had failed to meet the strict legal standard required to justify such restrictions under the Constitution.The ruling prevents relevant US agencies from enforcing punitive measures against Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN) and the Taxpayers Against Genocide (TAAG) under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).The law provides for civil penalties of up to $377,700 or imprisonment for as long as 20 years.DAWN has regularly submitted evidence and information concerning alleged war crimes to the ICC under Article 15 of the Rome Statute. TAAG, which was established to submit similar documentation to the court, had refrained from formally filing evidence amid fears of legal action.Both organisations welcomed the ruling, saying they would immediately resume submitting evidence of alleged war crimes to the ICC. They also plan to restart formal coordination with Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur, and communication with Palestinian human rights organisations Al-Haq, Al Mezan and the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights.Trump administration’s pressure on the ICCThe lawsuit challenged Executive Order 14203, issued in February 2025, which directed US agencies to take measures against individuals and entities associated with the ICC over investigations involving the United States and its allies, including Israel. Neither country recognises the court’s jurisdiction.The executive order targeted former ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan, six judges and several UN officials.Tensions between Washington and the ICC intensified in November 2024, when the court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant over alleged war crimes in Gaza. The warrants further escalated the dispute between the United States and the court over the ICC’s jurisdiction and operations.US threatens to dismantle the ICCLast Friday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced sanctions against the ICC and warned that Washington could seek to dismantle the international judicial institution if member states failed to limit its powers.The ICC currently has 125 member states. Neither the United States nor Israel is a member.The court’s intervention against sanctions on the two human rights organisations presents a fresh legal obstacle to the Trump administration’s efforts to pressure the ICC. It has also renewed debate in the United States over constitutional free-speech protections, the submission of evidence to international courts and the ability of human rights organisations to carry out their work without government interference.Source: Anadolu Agency
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