Press Release
Published on May 5, 2025
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Human Rights First has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration on behalf of the International Criminal Court (ICC) trial attorney and U.S. Army veteran Eric Iverson, challenging the administration’s dangerous misuse of U.S. sanctions that threaten accountability for war crimes and violate fundamental rights.
Iverson, a fifth-generation South Dakotan, has served as a prosecutor at the ICC since 2010. A veteran of the Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps, Iverson currently leads a team investigating atrocities committed in Darfur since 2002. He is lead counsel on the cases of Prosecutor v. Al-Bashir (the former President of Sudan, who is charged with genocide), Prosecutor v. Hussein, and Prosecutor v. Harun. He is the first American to try a case before the ICC.
In February 2025, the Trump administration issued an executive order sanctioning ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan, unjustly placing him on the same U.S. Treasury Department list used for terrorists and human rights abusers. Because Khan is Iverson’s ultimate supervisor, Iverson is now at risk of criminal prosecution or steep civil financial penalties for continuing his vital work, as he could be considered to be providing “services” to a sanctioned individual.
“These sanctions are not only an attack on international justice—they’re an attack on the rule of law and those who dedicate their lives to upholding it,” said Uzra Zeya, President and CEO of Human Rights First. “The possibility that a U.S. veteran who works to hold war criminals accountable could be prosecuted for doing his job sends a chilling message to all who fight for human rights. We’re taking this administration to court to defend Eric Iverson’s right to free speech, which he is exercising in an incredibly admirable way.”
In our lawsuit, we argue that the sanctions unconstitutionally infringe on Iverson’s First Amendment rights, including his right to practice law in pursuit of justice and accountability. The suit seeks a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction to prevent the U.S. government from penalizing Iverson for carrying out his duties as a prosecutor at the ICC.
Human Rights First has long opposed efforts to undermine the ICC, an institution that survivors and human rights defenders around the world rely on to pursue justice. The sanctions are obstructing the work of ICC staff, legal advocates, and survivors of war crimes around the world, including in Sudan as new atrocities unfold amid the country’s ongoing civil war.
Click here for more information about the case. To learn more about Human Rights First’s work to defend international justice and the ICC, visit https://humanrightsfirst.org/international-criminal-court/.
Media contact: press@humanrightsfirst.org