US leaves Venice Commission and two international tribunals in The Hague
US President Donald Trump has made a decision for the United States to pull out of 66 international organisations. The move also impacts bodies in the field of international law, as Washington prepares to end its participation in the Venice Commission and two Hague-based tribunals.
The list of organisations from which the US must urgently withdraw includes both little-known intergovernmental bodies that have not been active and authoritative institutions, particularly those in international law.
Through the memorandum, Trump has directed that the US should withdraw from the Venice Commission. Officially known as the European Commission for Democracy through Law, the body operates under the auspices of the Council of Europe but is also open to non-European states, with the US holding full membership.
The Venice Commission issues expert opinions on legislation concerning the rule of law, constitutional justice and human rights. In Ukraine, its conclusions on politically sensitive issues are closely watched, as their implementation often becomes a requirement for the EU. For the US, however, the Commission's guidance carries little political weight. The US withdrawal deprives Washington of a minor lever of influence in these processes.
The US is also leaving the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals. Based in The Hague, this structure handles the prosecution of international crimes committed in the former Yugoslavia during the Balkan wars, as well as genocide in Rwanda, after the main tribunals investigating these crimes were dissolved. For instance, in 2023, the Residual Mechanism reviewed and rejected the appeals of two Serbian war criminals, Jovica Stanišić and Franko Simatović, convicted of offences committed during the war in Kosovo.
Under Trump, the US has been extremely critical of international criminal justice. Trump imposed sanctions on a number of officials and judges of the International Criminal Court (ICC), and the ICC itself has been subject to restrictions.
Notably, the US is not blocking the creation of a Special Tribunal for the crime of Russian aggression, but it is not participating in the process either.
In December, it was reported that the US was pressuring the ICC to shield Trump from potential prosecution.
Meanwhile, the Netherlands are preparing to defend the ICC against possible Trump sanctions.