The recent threats of the United States to “dismantle” the International Criminal Court (ICC) is an attack on the jurisdiction of last resort for the victims of crimes against humanity and war crimes, especially in the Philippines, according to an international human rights group.

The International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP) condemned the threats from the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who visited the administration of Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to attend the ASEAN Post-Ministerial Conference from July 19 to 23, made sweeping threats of visa revocations and financial sanctions against ICC officials.

The campaign of the U.S. against the ICC also includes a demand for the nation-partners to reject the authority of ICC and to take similar actions made by the U.S., according to its State Department.

“ICHRP can only interpret the most recent threats from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio as a US repudiation of the rule of law, an assertion that US personnel must enjoy impunity no what their alleged crimes,” ICHRP ChairpersonPeter Murphy told Bulatlat.

The Philippines is currently fulfilling its residual obligations in the ICC by prosecuting Rodrigo Duterte for his alleged crimes against humanity through his anti-illegal drug campaign during his administration and the alleged Davao Death Squad killings when he was a mayor. 

The scope of prosecution will focus on the crimes when the country was still a member-state of the Rome Statute from November 1, 2011 to March 17, 2019. It is also affirmed by the decision of the ICC Appeals Chamber on April 22, 2026, emphasizing that the court has the power to exercise its jurisdiction under the Article 127 of Rome Statute. 

The provision stipulates that the State shall not be discharged from any obligations by the reason of its withdrawal – it shall not affect any criminal investigations and proceedings of the ICC, especially crimes committed prior to the withdrawal.

“The ICC is the jurisdiction of last resort for the victims of crimes against humanity and war crimes,” said Murphy, “as we have seen in the case now running against former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte and hopefully his co-perpetrators.”

Kristina Conti and Neri Colmenares, victims’ lawyers from the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL), earlier said that the Philippines’ best interest is to ensure that no future criminals will be emboldened to commit or even imagine the gravest of humanity’s crimes— cemented by rejoining the ICC.

“We do not gain any in supporting the U.S., which is rudimentarily invoking Westphalian sovereignty to protect criminals in its highest offices. It is false patriotism to simply claim we need to protect one of our own, when that one has caused the death and agony of many more,” the lawyers said.

Read: Victims’ lawyers urge PH to rejoin ICC amid US campaign vs the tribunal

Palace press officer Claire Castro told the media on July 23, that the ICC was not an agenda discussed with Rubio during his visit to Malacañang on July 22. However, she previously affirmed that the “US policy (on ICC) is not extended to the Philippines.”

The Rome Statute currently has 125 members, out of 196 member-states of the United Nations. (RTS, RVO)