We, the undersigned representatives of civil society organizations in the United States, condemn the U.S. for its persistent non-cooperation with the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) process, and urge you to take meaningful action within your mandate to prevent the attempted dismantling of the universality of a core pillar of the UN Human Rights Council.

Amici submit this brief to explain the irreparable harm that this Order causes. It advances two arguments. First, the fracturing of civil society resulting from the Order impairs the functioning of the ICC. CSOs and human rights defenders, who are comprised of, to name a few, lawyers, victim representatives, and survivor advocates, are not peripheral advocates for the ICC; rather, they are critical to the functioning of the ICC. The ICC was designed to depend on them to connect with victims and witnesses; document crimes; monitor judicial developments; support victim participation and reparations; contribute legal, contextual, cultural and other expertise; and advance cooperation and domestic accountability, particularly in situation countries where the Court has limited access.

In July, the ICC’s Assembly of States Parties will convene an unprecedented Special Session where, for the first time in the Court's history, States will be asked to decide whether to remove a sitting ICC Prosecutor from office. That decision must be grounded in an accurate understanding of the statutory framework governing these disciplinary proceedings and the decisions available to the relevant decision-maker at each stage of the process. There is a legitimate public interest in the disciplinary proceedings currently before the ASP. The allegations against the Prosecutor are serious, and the moral and ethical standards required of his position are high. Yet key aspects of the process remain confidential or unpublished, including virtually all procedural documents, key decisions, the main findings of the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS), which conducted the external fact-finding investigation into the allegations, and the main conclusions of the ad hoc Panel of judicial experts, which was mandated to provide advice on the legal characterisation of the facts as established by the OIOS.

As the United States ("US") approaches its rescheduled 4th Universal Periodic Review ("UPR"), individuals’ sexual and reproductive health and rights (“SRHR”) continue to deteriorate across the country. Since our previous submission, both restrictions on reproductive healthcare access, in particular abortion care, and targeted, state-sanctioned violence, intimidation, discrimination, and harassment of communities by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”) and Customs and Border Protection (“CBP”) have increased. This submission updates this coalition’s April 2025 submission. It includes quantitative research and qualitative data gathered from abortion funds, healthcare providers, doulas, and persons detained or deported by ICE agents. Testimony is from individuals who have been directly harmed by restrictive abortion laws and/or by the recent unlawful changes in and enforcement of immigration policies or from individuals whose clients or patients have suffered such harm.

Liberia’s support for key recommendations received during its fourth UPR cycle is a significant and welcome step toward at last delivering justice for serious international crimes during the country’s civil wars. These include recommendations aimed at the establishment and effective functioning of a war and economic crimes court and full implementation of the country’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s recommendations.