US sanctions ICC judges over targeting Israel
The US has placed sanctions on International Criminal Court (ICC) judges, alleging that they are involved in groundless and illegitimate actions towards the nation and Israel, Middle East Eye via Reuters reported on June 6th.
On June 5th, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the sanctions. He said the judges the sanctions are aimed at are Solomy Balungi Bossa, Luz del Carmen Ibanez Carranza, Reine Adelaide Sophie Alapini-Gansou and Beti Hohler.
Arrest warrants against Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and ex-defence minister Yoav Gallant were okayed by two of the judges.
The other two judges supported probes into U.S. personnel accused of misconduct during the Afghanistan conflict. Rubio stated: “As ICC judges, these four individuals have actively engaged in the ICC’s illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America or our close ally, Israel.”
In post on X he added: “The ICC is politicised and falsely claims unfettered discretion to investigate, charge, and prosecute nationals of the United States and our allies. This dangerous assertion and abuse of power infringes upon the sovereignty and national security of the United States and our allies, including Israel.”
The choice to proceed with the sanctions will intensify Trump’s clash with the court and other global bodies. Trump has largely regarded the court and the global organisations as politicised, The Guardian reported on June 5th.
The ICC’s chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, has been sanctioned by the US for seeking arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant. The Associated Press reported earlier in June that the sanction made Khan lose email access and also froze his bank accounts.
The ICC declared in a statement, it “deplores” the new sanctions. The court stated: “These measures are a clear attempt to undermine the independence of an international judicial institution which operates under the mandate from 125 states parties from all corners of the globe.” It added that “[t]argeting those working for accountability does nothing to help civilians trapped in conflict.”
Earlier, on January 27th, ICC’s prosecutor revealed plans to pursue arrest orders for Sudanese atrocity suspects. Maghrebi.org via Africanews reported that Khan confirmed war crimes are being carried out in Darfur “as we speak and daily.”
Maghrebi.org via The Associated Press on January 29th reported that war crimes serve as tools of combat, with “famine present, conflict increasing, children targeted, girls and women subjected to rape and the whole landscape one of destruction.”
Middle East Eye via Reuters, The Guardian, Maghrebi.org, The Associated Press, Africanews
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