Esra Taskin and Aysu Bicer
16 July 2026•Update: 16 July 2026
France reaffirmed its support Thursday for the International Criminal Court (ICC), rejecting claims by the US that the court poses a threat to national sovereignty.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Pascal Confavreux said the ICC was not a threat to states because it prosecutes individuals accused of the world’s most serious crimes, rather than governments.
“This does not change France’s position of support for the International Criminal Court, its resilience, and its fight against impunity and the most serious crimes,” Confavreux told reporters.
He added that attacks and threats against ICC staff, officials and others involved in the court’s work were “unacceptable.”
The comments came after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio criticized the ICC, saying it threatened US sovereignty, and he announced that Washington would encourage other countries to withdraw from the court.
The US State Department has also launched an initiative aimed at limiting what it described as the ICC’s ability to challenge American sovereignty.
The ICC, based in The Hague, was established in 2002 to prosecute individuals accused of genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and the crime of aggression.
The US is not a member of the court, while France is among the countries that support its work.
