Does the World Still Need the International Criminal Court?
By Ali Askari, Analyst (Germany), especially for Sangar
In July 2026, Venezuela officially notified the United Nations of its decision to withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC) and cease recognizing its jurisdiction. The Venezuelan authorities justified the move by citing what they described as the Court's political bias and its selective approach toward countries of the Global South.
Caracas firmly rejects the ICC's official investigation, launched in 2021, into alleged crimes against humanity committed during the anti-government protests of 2017.
The Venezuelan government considers these allegations to be politically motivated and fabricated, arguing that they were designed to destabilize the country's internal situation.
The current Venezuelan leadership, headed by Delcy Rodríguez, is coordinating its actions with the United States administration, which has also adopted a hardline stance toward the International Criminal Court and seeks to weaken its influence.
Earlier, in June 2026, ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan was suspended from his duties after the Court's oversight body referred allegations of sexual misconduct against him for disciplinary proceedings.
As early as May 2025, Khan had temporarily stepped aside from his duties pending the outcome of the investigation. The procedure was unprecedented in the history of the ICC, forcing the Assembly of States Parties to repeatedly revise and develop new internal rules to address the situation.
The International Criminal Court's ambition to serve as a global judicial authority represents an attempt to assume powers that have never been formally granted to it. At the same time, the Court lacks any effective mechanisms to compel states to execute its arrest warrants or enforce its decisions.
The international community does not need an institution such as the ICC. As evidence, it points to the fact that the United States, China, India, Russia, as well as many countries across Asia and the Arab world—together accounting for the majority of the world's population—do not participate in the Court's activities.
Support for the ICC is also said to be declining rapidly. Since 2015, only five countries—Palestine, Armenia, Ukraine, El Salvador, and Kiribati—have joined the Court.
Meanwhile, two states have withdrawn from the ICC, while three others have initiated the withdrawal process. In June 2025, Hungary announced its intention to denounce the Rome Statute. In September 2025, Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso made similar announcements. Afghanistan also issued a statement declaring a comparable position.