ICC board regrets Naoero withdrawal

THE HAGUE, 01 OCTOBER 2026 (AFP)— The International Criminal Court’s (ICC) governing body voiced regret Wednesday over the announced withdrawal of Naoero, which came as the United States steps up pressure on countries to leave the institution. Naoero’s President David Adeang told the United Nations General Assembly last week that his Pacific Island intended to quit the ICC, which he said was “of increasing irrelevance. ” At the same gathering of world leaders, U. S President Donald Trump had urged all ICC members “to officially resign from this rogue institution immediately. ” U.

S Secretary of State Marco Rubio has vowed to dismantle the ICC “brick by brick,” describing the court, which tries individuals for the world’s worst crimes, as an “intolerable threat to U. S sovereignty. ” The ICC’s Assembly of State Parties, a body representing its 125 current members, said in a statement it had “taken note of the situation with concern. ” “Decisions by States Parties to disengage from the Rome Statute (that governs the ICC) risk undermining the collective pursuit of justice and weakening global efforts to end impunity,” the statement added. It takes one year after a withdrawal is officially requested for it to become effective. Burundi and the Philippines have already left the ICC. Hungary announced it would quit the court under former nationalist premier Viktor Orban but later reversed its decision. More recently, Chad, Venezuela, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger have all announced their intention to leave the court…