NEW YORK —The Open Society Justice Initiative filed a lawsuit today challenging President Trump’s executive order, issued earlier this year, imposing sanctions on officials associated with the International Criminal Court and barring others, including U.S. citizens and residents, from assisting the Court in its investigation of war crimes committed by U.S. personnel or personnel of certain U.S. allies.

The following can be attributed to Jameel Jaffer, Executive Director at the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University.

“The Executive Order treats human rights investigators like terrorists and is expressly intended to protect war criminals from accountability. It’s a shameful document that reflects a worldview that one would normally associate with despotic regimes. The order is unlawful both because it exceeds the president’s statutory authority and because it prohibits U.S. citizens and residents from engaging in advocacy and association protected by the First Amendment.”

The following can be attributed to Carrie DeCell, Staff Attorney at the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University.

“Scholars, advocates, and lawyers in the United States have a First Amendment right to engage with counterparts abroad, including those working with the International Criminal Court. The order is plainly unconstitutional.”

For more information, contact: Lorraine Kenny, [email protected].