World
International Criminal Court: 20 years, billions spent, limited success as US considers sanctions
As the U.S. weighs sanctions against the International Criminal Court (ICC) over potential arrest warrants for Israeli officials, some experts have questioned the value of the court, given its track record since its founding.
“[The ICC] has been around for over two decades, [but] it has less than 10 successful prosecutions,” Orde Kittrie, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and law professor at Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, told Fox News Digital. “It’s spent over $2 billion. It’s been really ineffective.”
As of July 2022, 31 cases have appeared before the ICC, which resulted in 10 convictions and four acquittals. The court has issued 37 arrest warrants, with 21 people ultimately detained while 12 people remain at large, according to the European Union’s External Action Service.
The ICC’s total annual budget for 2023 totaled around $183,500,000, which is an increase of around $34,500,000 or around 20% increase from 2022’s budget.
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Member states each bear a portion of the overall budget based on the size of their economies, with the most significant funds coming from large European economies, Japan, South Korea, Australia and Brazil, according to the Journal of Human Rights.
Japan ranked as the largest contributor in 2022 with around $26,850,000, while Germany and France rank thereafter with around $19,000,000 and $14,400,000, respectively.
President Biden speaks during a Jewish American Heritage Month reception in the Rose Garden of the White House on May 20, 2024. (Samuel Corum/Sipa/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Appropriations for the court are divided into nine categories: the Judiciary, Office of the Prosecutor, the Registry, Secretariat of the Assembly of States Parties, Premises, Secretariat of the Trust Fund for Victims, Permanent Premises Project – Host State Loan, Independent Oversight Mechanism and Office of Internal Audit. The court also notes that “assets that the Court holds are normally not held to generate commercial returns and are therefore non-cash generating assets,” meaning it must build its budget from contributions alone.
Even with that sizable budget, and the significant increase year over year, the court relies heavily on the cooperation of members to enable its operations. Outgoing Registrar Peter Lewis in 2023 said the court faced an unprecedented workload – even before taking on the investigation into alleged crimes in the Gaza Strip – and that state parties’ cooperation remained crucial to any success.
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US sanctions
This makes any sanctions against the organization a potentially crippling measure: Then-President Trump in 2020 authorized an asset freeze and family entry ban against ICC officials after the court opened investigations into alleged U.S. war crimes conducted in Afghanistan.
“The ICC Prosecutor … thinks the Biden administration is more interested in a cozy relationship with the ICC than with protecting Israelis and Americans from its power grab,” Anne Bayefsky, director of the Touro Institute on Human Rights and the Holocaust as well as president of Human Rights Voices, told Fox News Digital.
International Criminal Court prosecutor Karim Khan (Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP via Getty Images)
“If President Biden does not immediately invoke the American Service Members Protection Act, terminate all cooperation and support of the ICC, and use his authority to sanction ICC officials for their outrageous prosecution – actually persecution – of the democratic representatives of the Jewish state … justice will have been dealt a disastrous blow,” Bayefsky said.
The Biden administration increased its cooperation with the ICC, offering assistance and intelligence to the court to bolster its investigation into alleged Russian war crimes during the invasion of Ukraine, though Kittrie noted that the ICC case against Putin “hasn’t made a difference” and possibly merely added “some sense” of legitimacy for the ICC prosecutor.
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Bayefsky and others have urged the Biden administration to invoke the American Servicemembers Protection Act and sanction the ICC in response to any arrest warrants for Israeli officials.
During a speech in the Rose Garden on Wednesday at a press conference with Kenyan President William Ruto, Biden reiterated that the U.S. “made our position clear on the ICC … we don’t recognize the jurisdiction of the ICC, the way it’s being exercised, and it’s that simple. We don’t think there’s an equivalence between what Israel did and Hamas did.”
This view shows the International Criminal Court building in The Hague in the Netherlands on April 30, 2024. (Selman Aksunger/Anadolu via Getty Images)
The Rome Statute counts 124 signatories, including most of Africa, Europe and South America, but it does not include some notable holdouts: the United States, China, Russia, Ukraine, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Iran, North Korea and Turkey, among others.
The Biden administration reversed the sanctions but reinforced the position that the U.S. continued to “disagree strongly with the ICC’s actions relating to the Afghanistan and Palestinian situations.”
The Center for Constitutional Rights argued that the sanctions delayed critical investigations at the ICC, “directly and indirectly negatively” impacting the work at the ICC, though perhaps not as drastically as the U.S. would have hoped.
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant are pictured in the West Bank in August 2023. (Amos Ben-Gershom (GPO)/Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Instead, the group argued that the sanctions created a difficult working relationship for the ICC and any potential collaborators, such as civil society organizations, investigators, lawyers and victims who would worry about facing similar sanctions for helping the ICC.
The ICC, which commenced operations in 2002, bases its authority on the signatories of the Rome Statute, which outlines four core international crimes that the court will prosecute: genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and crimes of aggression, all of which are “not subject to any statute of limitations” but limited to only crimes that occurred after the statute came into force.
President Clinton signed the statute in 2000, but he demanded that the eventual ICC should address “fundamental concerns” before he or any other U.S. president considered putting the statute before the U.S. Senate for ratification. The Bush administration took it a step further, withdrawing the U.S. signature and instead adopting the American Servicemembers Protection Act.
Also known as the “Hague Invasion Act,” the law allows the president to use “all means necessary and appropriate to bring about the release” of U.S. or allied citizens detained or imprisoned by the ICC.
The bill also prevents the U.S. from providing support for the ICC, per Sec. 2004: The U.S. is prohibited from responding to requests for cooperation, of providing support to the court (including from law enforcement), of helping with extradition and using appropriated funds to assist the court, among others.
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Protesters on Sunday set a Tesla vehicle on fire and smashed windows at a United Nations agency in Geneva as they marched against a Group of Seven summit set to kick off across the border in France, prompting police to fire tear gas.
Around 20,000 people gathered for a march that was initially peaceful before some protesters later damaged what they described as symbols of capitalism and multilateralism, including the parked Tesla and the UN agency.
Demonstrators grabbed bricks from the ground to throw at police, as tear gas was deployed in Geneva’s streets, witnesses told Reuters.
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A Tesla car burns during a protest against the upcoming G7 summit in Évian-les-Bains, in France, in Geneva, Switzerland, June 14, 2026. (REUTERS/Denis Balibouse)
There have been previous protests at G7 gatherings over the years, with many demonstrators using the summits to speak out against capitalism, globalization, climate change and inequality.
Demonstrators in the latest protest said they were marching against the G7 as a symbol of concentrated political and economic power.
This comes after Tesla owner Elon Musk became the world’s first trillionaire last week.
“To me, it’s a meeting of the rich that shows once again how the rich can become even richer while the poor are left behind,” protestor Pippa Saugy told Reuters.
People hold a protest against the upcoming G7 summit in Évian-les-Bains in France, in Geneva, Switzerland, June 14, 2026. (REUTERS/Umit Bektas)
The G7 summit, scheduled to take place from Monday to Wednesday in Évian-les-Bains, on the shore of Lake Geneva, will feature the leaders of France, Britain, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan and the U.S., as well as the European Union.
The conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine are expected to dominate the agenda. Leaders will likely attempt to avoid a clash with U.S. President Donald Trump after he announced a tentative agreement aimed at ending the U.S. and Israeli war against Iran.
Businesses in Geneva were boarded up and hundreds of riot police were deployed in the streets over concerns about violence.
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People attend a protest against the upcoming G7 summit in Évian-les-Bains in France, in Geneva, Switzerland, June 14, 2026. (REUTERS/Umit Bektas)
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“This is an attempt to frighten demonstrators, to frighten people and discourage them from coming out to protest,” protester Mattia Piccard told Reuters.
Another demonstrator said she wanted to raise the issue of gender inequality during the march against the G7.
“The values represented by the G7 are completely misogynistic, and they contribute to inequality,” Clélia Colin told the outlet.
Reuters contributed to this report.
Published on
At least 58 states and territories are contaminated by anti-personnel mines, the UN rights chief said on Tuesday, with heavy civilian casualties in Myanmar, Syria, Afghanistan and Ukraine.
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“It is deeply troubling that almost 30 years since the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Treaty was adopted, these explosive weapons continue to kill and injure people, often decades after they were placed,” Volker Türk said in a statement.
“It is essential that all states recommit to putting an end to the production, use and transfer of these weapons and redouble their efforts to cooperate in clearing mines already placed.”
Türk produced a report on the situation, drawing on information from governments, NGOs, humanitarian organisations and civil society.
At least 945 people were killed and 4,325 injured by landmines and explosive remnants of war in 2024 alone, it said, citing the Landmine and Cluster Munition Monitor.
“Among victims where the status as military or civilian was known, civilians made up approximately 90% of all recorded casualties in 2024,” the report said.
The states with the highest number of casualties in 2024 were Myanmar with 2,029, Syria with 1,015, then Afghanistan with 624, followed by Ukraine, Nigeria, Mali, Yemen and Burkina Faso, which each recorded more than 200 casualties.
In a separate statement, the International Campaign to Ban Landmines said mines and explosive remnants of war, including cluster munitions, killed or injured more than 5,000 people in 2025, again with the vast majority being civilians.
Türk’s office noted that children make up more than 40% of all civilian casualties of anti-personnel mines recorded since 1999.
Besides killing and maiming, anti-personnel mines turn areas into no-go zones, Türk’s office said, hampering rights, prolonging displacement and stopping land from being used for agriculture.
While the Ottawa mine ban convention has 162 states parties, Türk noted that other countries with considerable stockpiles are not yet members.
Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland recently withdrew and Ukraine is suspending its implementation.
“States that have not yet ratified the treaty should promptly do so and those that have withdrawn should quickly rejoin,” said Türk.
He hailed Lebanon’s recent decision to join the Ottawa convention, despite the war between Israel and Hezbollah.
Türk’s report said that in the seven years to 2025, contributions to the UN Voluntary Trust Fund for Assistance in Mine Action sharply decreased from $125 million to $46 million (€107 million to €39 million).
Additional sources • AFP
World
Studiocanal Reveals Sales on Multiple Cannes Market Titles, Including ‘The Midnight Library,’ ‘Words of Love,’ ‘Another Day’
Studiocanal has revealed that it has closed sales on multiple films that either premiered at the Cannes Film Festival or are on its development and production slate, including “The Midnight Library.” The company also said it is negotiating presales on the new Paddington animated film.
“The Midnight Library,” starring and produced by Academy Award nominee Florence Pugh, emerged as one of the hottest titles at this year’s Cannes Film Market. After a competitive bidding war between studios, the film sold to Paramount Pictures for North America and numerous foreign territories.
Beyond Paramount’s territories, “The Midnight Library” will be distributed by Scanbox in Scandinavia, Sun Africa Group/MultiChoice in South Africa, and Filmcoopi in Switzerland. Studiocanal will release the film across its territory footprint, including the U.K., France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Benelux, Australia and New Zealand.
Studiocanal also closed deals for Rudi Rosenberg’s Un Certain Regard film “Words of Love,” Volker Schlöndorff’s “Visitation,” Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s “Violette,” Jeanne Herry’s Cannes competition selection “Another Day,” Simon Stone’s “Elsinore,” Jonathan Schey’s “Everybody Wants to F*ck Me,” Danny Boyle’s “Ink” and Fred Cavayé’s “Les Misérables.” Studiocanal will release the films in its territories.
Sales for the films are as follows:
“Elsinore”
Anuvu for airlines, MCF for Ex-Yugoslavia and Bulgaria, Spentzos for Greece, ADS for Hungary, Lev for Israel, Lusomundo for Portugal, Scanbox for Scandinavia, Sun Africa Group/MultiChoice for South Africa, Filmcoopi for Switzerland, and Bir Film for Turkey. It will be released in the U.S. in 2027 by LD Entertainment.
“Everybody Wants to F*Ck Me”
ACME for the Baltics, Prorom for Eastern Europe, Blitz for Ex-Yugoslavia, Myndform for Iceland, Lionsgate for India, Lev for Israel, Imagem for Latin America, Mongol Films for Mongolia, Lusomundo for Portugal, Scanbox for Scandinavia, Sun Africa Group/MultiChoice for South Africa, KTH for South Korea, Filmcoopi for Switzerland, Catchplay for Taiwan, and Svoe Kino for Ukraine.
“Ink”
Echolake for airlines, Cinelibri for Bulgaria, VVS for Canada, AQS for Czech Republic and Slovakia, Karantanja for Ex-Yugoslavia, Spentzos for Greece, Cinetel for Hungary, Myndform for Iceland, MVP for India, Shoval for Israel, Mongol Films for Mongolia, Lusomundo for Portugal, Independenta for Romania, Scanbox for Scandinavia, Sun Africa Group/MultiChoice for South Africa, NK Content for South Korea, Wanda for Spain, Ascot Elite for Switzerland, Fabula Films for Turkey, and UFD for Ukraine.
“Les Miserables”
Skeye for airlines, ACME for the Baltics, Cinelibri for Bulgaria, TVA for Canada, AQS for Czech Republic and Slovakia, Karantanja for Ex-Yugoslavia, Pathé Touch for French-speaking Africa, Spentzos for Greece, ADS for Hungary, Synapse for Latin America, GSC for Malaysia, Italia for the Middle East, Lusomundo for Portugal, Independenta for Romania, Shaw for Singapore, Scene & Sound for South Korea, Beta Fiction for Spain, DCM for Switzerland, Bir Film for Turkey, and Ad Astra for Ukraine.
“Words of Love”
Cineart for Benelux, Beta for Bulgaria, Immina for Canada, Pandora for Germany and Austria, Danaos for Greece, New Cinema for Israel, Teodora for Italy, Angel Films for Scandinavia, Atalante for Spain, Frenetic for Switzerland, and Mars for Turkey.
“Visitation”
Moving Story for Australia and New Zealand, Artifilm for Benelux, Beta for Bulgaria, Karantanija for Ex-Yugoslavia, Spentzos for Greece, Lev for Israel, Cetera for Japan, Alambique for Portugal, Scanbox for Scandinavia, A Contracorriente for Spain, and Filmcoopi for Switzerland.
“Violette”
Skeye for airlines, ACME for the Baltics, Cinelibri for Bulgaria, VVS for Canada, Blue Media for China, MCF for Ex-Yugoslavia, Spentzos for Greece, Vertigo for Hungary, Lev for Israel, Lucky Red for Italy, Lusomundo for Portugal, Bad Unicorn for Romania, Scanbox for Scandinavia, Shaw for Singapore, Beta Fiction for Spain, Frenetic for Switzerland, Bir for Turkey, and Arthouse for Ukraine.
“Another Day”
MCF for Ex-Yugoslavia and Bulgaria, Spentzos for Greece, Europictures for Italy, Scanbox for Scandinavia, Shaw for Singapore, Frenetic for Switzerland, Lusomundo for Portugal, and Mars for Turkey.
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