"Its name alone has the potential to save lives" David Yambio on the International Criminal Court

David Yambio told us that he left South Sudan because he had only two options: to kill or be killed. But the existence of the International Criminal Court (ICC) gave him hope that justice might still be possible for the crimes he and his family suffered. We met with David and other survivors in December 2025 on the margins of the ICC's Assembly of State Parties. Together, with the Coalition for the International Criminal Court and the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), we discussed survivor-centred justice, confronting impunity, and the need to defend the ICC. David is a community advocate, human rights defender, and lead investigator on state-to-state human trafficking and crimes against migrants in North Africa and Europe. He is the co-founder and spokesperson of Refugees in Libya, a refugee-led organisation based in Libya and Italy that documents human rights violations, challenges impunity, and advocates for justice and protection for people on the move.