Donald Trump calls on member states to leave the International Criminal Court and accuses the institution of being “out of control”

U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday called on all member states of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to withdraw “officially and immediately” from the institution, which he accused of being “out of control.” The appeal was made during the speech delivered by the American leader before the UN General Assembly.

Trump said that the United States opposes the ICC and has actively criticized the work of the court based in The Hague. The U.S. administration has imposed sanctions on some of the Court’s judges and is pressuring member states to abandon the institution.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio previously stated that Washington would try to dismantle the ICC “brick by brick,” considering it a threat to American sovereignty. The U.S. is particularly dissatisfied with the arrest warrant issued by the ICC for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The Court’s acting chief prosecutor, Mame Mandiaye Niang, argued that the American attacks reflect a lack of understanding of the institution’s work. Founded in 1998 and operational since 2002, the ICC prosecutes individuals accused of genocide, crimes against humanity, the crime of aggression, and war crimes. The United States signed the Rome Statute but did not ratify it. Neither Israel nor Russia is a member of the Court.