Amidst ongoing US sanctions targeting the International Criminal Court in The Hague, German human rights organizations are simultaneously preparing defenses against punitive measures from Washington.
Julia Duchrow, the Secretary General for Amnesty International in Germany, noted that authoritarian forces worldwide are actively attacking free media, independent courts, and civil society organizations because they seek power without accountability. She stated that the US sanctions against the ICC are an integral part of this broader strategy. For civil society organizations, this aggression requires robust risk management, as the threats extend beyond simple reputational crises, posing concrete dangers to their operational foundations.
Andreas Schüller, Co-Director of the “International Crimes and Accountability” program at the European Centre for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR), confirmed that civil society groups are already feeling the reverberations of the sanctions. He explained that these organizations have been planning for months to continue their work effectively, despite the risks associated with the court and the sanctions. They emphasize that providing support to victims of international crimes who place hope in the ICC remains their top priority.
Schüller stressed that continued human rights protection is impossible without cooperation from various stakeholders, including states, digital companies, banks, and foundations. He pointed out that when banks cancel accounts under pressure, or when foundations halt funding, or when other states fail to condemn the US sanctions unambiguously, the protection of human rights is severely undermined. He also observed that sanctions are already intimidating many individuals and organizations from assisting victims.
The threat is tangible, as illustrated by the case of Hateaid. In December 2025, entry bans were imposed on the organization’s two managing directors for helping victims of online hate in Germany. Financial sanctions are also a looming threat. Consequently, Anna-Lena von Hodenberg and Josephine Ballon are preparing for the worst, both personally and professionally. Ballon noted that many negative actions, such as European credit institutes terminating accounts, occur out of “preemptive compliance” driven by the fear of incurring disadvantages themselves. She urged the EU to urgently accelerate plans for a European alternative to the current visa system to reduce global dependency on the United States in financial transactions.
