“Defend the International Criminal Court against attacks from Russia and the US”: the demonstration organised by Eumans and NPWJ

Brussels – To defend the International Criminal Court (ICC) against attempts by the United States and Russia to weaken it and undermine its independence, and to call on the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, to take urgent measures to this end. This is the cause for which, today (14 April), a demonstration organised by activists from Eumans, the pan-European non-violent citizens’ initiative movement founded by former Radical MEP Marco Cappato, and by No Peace Without Justice (NPWJ), an NGO active in the defence of human rights and the rule of law. 

The initiative marks the launch of the “Defend the International Criminal Court – Defend the rule of international law” campaign, which the two organisations have decided to launch in response to the pressure and sanctions that the United States and Russia are reportedly exerting against the permanent international tribunal, which, since 2002, has been trying individuals accused of the most serious international crimes. 

Attempts by Moscow and Washington to undermine the ICC have intensified significantly in recent years, particularly following a number of politically highly sensitive decisions taken by the judges in The Hague. For example, in 2023, when the Court issued an arrest warrant against the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, in the context of the war of aggression against Ukraine, a court in Moscow opened a trial against the Chief Prosecutor, Karim Khan, and other ICC judges. Two years later, in 2025, the defendants were convicted, albeit in absentia, of “unjust criminal prosecution of Russian citizens.” 

The United States under President Donald Trump acted in a similar manner when, in 2024, the Court issued the same measure against the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, in relation to the actions of the Tel Aviv military in the Gaza Strip. A few months later, in February 2025, the White House responded with an executive order imposing a series of sanctions against members of the ICC, including freezing assets on US territory, a travel ban on the United States, and measures against those who cooperate with the Court. 

In response to what they describe as attempts to undermine the ICC’s operations and erode its independence, the organisers of the protest are calling on the European Commission to make its voice heard through three concrete measures. The first is the activation of the so-called Blocking Statute, a sort of legal shield designed to protect European individuals and entities from the extraterritorial effects of sanctions imposed by third countries: EU Regulation 2271 of 1996, the legal basis for the mechanism, would also apply to the ICC as it has its seat in a Member State of the Union (the Netherlands). The second request from Eumans and NPWJ is to impose an explicit ban on the application of foreign sanctions in Europe against the Court and its officials. Finally, a more symbolic measure: the nomination of the ICC for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize to send, as stated in Eumans’ official press release, “a strong political signal in support of its independence.” 

On the sidelines of today’s event, Cappato also announced the start of a relay hunger strike, backed by over 3,400 European citizens and with 117 participants already selected. “We are beginning this fast as a call for dialogue with Ursula von der Leyen to ask her to defend the ICC, as is within her power,” explained the former MEP. “There are no more excuses; it is a matter of political will. We do not need a European army to defend the Court; it can be done immediately, and that is what we are asking of the President of the Commission and all EU heads of state and government.” 

His views were echoed by the independent MEP elected on the Democratic Party’s list, Cecilia Strada, who, speaking at the event outside the Berlaymont Building, described as “shameful” the fact that the Commission has not yet activated the Blocking Regulation, urging it to do so as soon as possible. “We will not bow to the law of the strongest, which seeks to undermine international law and the ICC. We believe in the force of law and in justice for everyone,” commented Strada.