THE HAGUE, Netherlands — The mood is grim in The Hague as hundreds of diplomats, lawyers and activists gather this week for the annual meeting of the International Criminal Court to discuss unprecedented challenges including U.S. sanctions, Russian arrest warrants and worries over the court’s future.

During her opening address Monday, the court's president, Judge Tomoko Akane, told delegations from 125 member states that the institution remains defiant.

“We never accept any kind of pressure,” Akane said.

But with no prosecutor at the helm, multiple staff members under sanction and countries pulling out, many outside the meeting are wondering how the court will survive.

The Assembly of States parties is under way

The ICC was established in 2002 as the world’s permanent court of last re

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