ICC slams US decision to sanction the court’s president and a senior prosecution lawyer
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The International Criminal Court on Wednesday slammed the latest U.S. sanctions targeting senior ICC staff, including its president, as a “flagrant attack” on the global tribunal’s independence and…
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has strongly condemned the United States' sanctions against its president and a senior prosecution lawyer, branding it a "flagrant attack" on the tribunal's independence. The U.S. State Department announced on Tuesday that ICC president Tomoko Akane and senior trial lawyer Abdoulaye Seye, both of whom hold international positions, were targeted by sanctions. These sanctions freeze any assets held in U.S. jurisdictions or linked to the U.S. financial system.
The Trump administration's sanctions have now been extended to nine out of the ICC's 18 judges, including both deputy prosecutors, the former chief prosecutor, and one other staff member from the prosecution office. The U.S. accuses the ICC of overstepping its mandate by investigating and seeking to prosecute high-ranking military and political officials from non-member countries such as Israel and the United States.
In response to these sanctions, the ICC stated that when judicial actors are threatened for applying the law, it endangers the international legal order itself. The court affirmed its commitment to uphold its mandate with independence and impartiality. Secretary of State Marco Rubio dismissed the ICC as a "corrupt and fatally politicized supranational court" that has abused its authority and exceeded its mandate.
This sanction decision comes weeks after Rubio announced that the U.S. was launching a campaign to dismantle the ICC's threat to U.S. sovereignty.
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