WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) released the following statement after Senate Democrats blocked legislation that would have caused irreparable harm to the International Criminal Court (ICC), which has a mandate to prosecute and punish war crimes: 

“Building lasting peace requires justice and ensuring accountability for violations of international humanitarian law in Ukraine, in Gaza, and wherever they occur. The United States was instrumental in establishing the International Criminal Court to prosecute war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide when domestic justice systems fail to act. That is a key limitation which the ICC’s critics—including Senate Republicans—often neglect to acknowledge: the ICC does not supplant the courts of any country. It has jurisdiction only when domestic justice systems fail to prosecute and punish war criminals.   

“Yet, instead of waiting to hear the evidence, the White House and some in Congress attempted to selectively sanction the ICC’s judges and prosecutors, which would have damaged our own credibility, the credibility of the Court, and the rule of law. The ICC is only as effective as the international community’s willingness to enforce the Geneva Conventions and hold violators accountable. And while its indictments and rulings, like any court, will always have detractors, there cannot be one standard of justice for war crimes committed by our adversaries and a lesser standard for our allies.” 

###