International Criminal Court (ICC) Registrar Osvaldo Zavala Giler called Wednesday for political support from EU states to ensure the court can continue its work “undeterred.”
Speaking in a video message from Brussels, where he addressed EU states at the Working Party on Public International Law – International Criminal Court subgroup (COJUR-ICC), Giler said ensuring resilient justice requires efforts both from the court itself and its member states.
“Ensuring that justice is resilient and that the ICC continues to do its work undeterred requires work,” he said in the video, which was shared by the court in a post on the US social media platform X.
Giler said the court must ensure that mechanisms and processes are in place to make its operations sustainable but stressed that it also needs “political support from states parties.”
“That’s why I’m here in Brussels today at the EU, discussing with EU member states ways in which they can provide political support to the ICC,” he said.
Such support, he added, is needed “to make sure that our joint efforts guarantee the resilience of our operations and that justice can be undeterred.”
The ICC said Giler, during the COJUR-ICC meeting, called for support for the court “in its mission to bring justice to victims of the gravest crimes.”
The call came amid increasing pressure from the US against the court, as Washington has already sanctioned 13 ICC officials, including nine of the court’s 18 judges.
US President Donald Trump renewed criticism of the ICC last week during his UN General Assembly address, calling on member states to leave the court.
Washington’s criticism intensified after the ICC issued arrest warrants in 2024 for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes in Gaza. The US and Israel are not ICC members.