11/09/2026 Legal Affairs and Human Rights
The Committee on Legal Affairs, meeting on 9 September in Paris, expressed its concern regarding attempts “to threaten and intimidate international judges and prosecutors of the International Criminal Court (ICC)”, by subjecting them to coercive measures for undertaking their functions as part of the international criminal justice system.
According to the report prepared by Tekke Panman (Netherlands, EPP/CD), adopted by the committee, these measures have been taken in particular by the United States and Russia against international judges and prosecutors who were investigating alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity falling within the ICC’s jurisdiction, specifically in Ukraine, Afghanistan and Palestine. “These measures have far-reaching consequences for the ICC’s operational functioning, as well as for the professional and private lives of the officials concerned, constituting an unacceptable attack on their independence,” the parliamentarians emphasised.
The committee recalled the ICC’s crucial role as a court of last resort for international crimes committed on the territory of a State Party to the Rome Statute of the ICC, by nationals of a State Party, and expressed its full support for its work.
It called on the international community, and in particular the States Parties to the Rome Statute, to take action to protect the ICC and other international institutions from such external threats, notably by ensuring that the officials’ privileges and immunities are scrupulously respected.
The Council of Europe’s member states and, where applicable, all States Parties to the Rome Statute, as well as the EU, should also ensure that the ICC and other international organisations and their officials based in Europe, have unimpeded access to all the services – including banking, insurance, medical and IT services – they need to fulfil their international mandate, according to the committee.
Finally, the adopted draft resolution calls on other states that are not Parties to the Rome Statute (including Council of Europe observer states and states whose parliaments have observer or ‘partner for democracy’ status with PACE) to “respect the ICC, its mandate, integrity and independence”, and to refrain from imposing sanctions or other coercive measures against judges and prosecutors of the ICC.