ICC condemns US sanctions
Experts said the sanctions announced by Trump, angered by the ICC investigation into alleged Israeli war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza, will have a wide-reaching impact on the court
Published: 06:02 PM,Feb 07,2025 | EDITED : 10:02 PM,Feb 07,2025
A Palestinian child stands inside a damaged car in front of a destroyed building in the war-devastated Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on Friday. — AFP
Amsterdam/Brussels: The International Criminal Court (ICC) on Friday condemned sanctions imposed by US President Donald Trump.
'The Court stands firmly by its personnel and pledges to continue providing justice and hope to millions of innocent victims of atrocities across the world,' it said in a statement.
Experts said the sanctions announced by Trump, angered by the ICC investigation into alleged Israeli war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza, will have a wide-reaching impact on the court.
Neither the United States nor Israel are among the 125 members of the ICC but sanctions could still have a crippling impact on the court's operations.
'We call on our 125 States Parties, civil society and all nations of the world to stand united for justice and fundamental human rights,' added the court, based in the Dutch city of The Hague.
Trump signed an executive order approving sanctions against the court on Thursday, arguing the ICC 'abused its power by issuing baseless arrest warrants targeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Former Minister of Defence Yoav Gallant.' International arrest warrants were issued last year against Netanyahu and Israel's then defence minister Gallant for alleged war crimes in the Gaza war.
Trump's order sanctions employees and supporters of the court who are involved in investigations, indictments or arrest warrants against US personnel or allies such as Israel.
According to the order, assets are to be frozen, and US persons and companies are prohibited from financial and economic transactions with them.
'Sanctioning the ICC threatens the Court's independence and undermines the international criminal justice system as a whole,' wrote European Council President Antonio Costa on X, a day after he met with ICC President Tomoko Akane.
'Companies and organisations might just stop doing business with the ICC because it's too much of a risk,' said James Patrick Sexton, PhD Researcher at the TMC Asser Instituut and University of Amsterdam.
'Big suppliers such as Microsoft might just proactively pull out,' added Sexton, who is working on a thesis examining the interaction between sanctions and international criminal justice.
Sexton said the court would likely engage in a diplomatic drive to drum up support for the ICC and international justice generally.
Technically, the court's founding statute allows the ICC to take action against anyone 'retaliating against an official of the court' or 'impeding, intimidating or corruptly influencing' an ICC member.
Legally, this means the ICC could hit back at Trump. While this is a possibility, Sexton noted 'it wouldn't exactly de-escalate the situation.'
Experts fear that weakening the ICC, which investigates war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and the crime of aggression, could give carte blanche to dictators worldwide.
The sanctions 'seek to undermine and destroy what the international community has painstakingly constructed over decades, if not centuries,' said Agnes Callamard, Amnesty International's Secretary General.
'Global rules that are applicable to everyone and aim to deliver justice for all.' — Agencies
'The Court stands firmly by its personnel and pledges to continue providing justice and hope to millions of innocent victims of atrocities across the world,' it said in a statement.
Experts said the sanctions announced by Trump, angered by the ICC investigation into alleged Israeli war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza, will have a wide-reaching impact on the court.
Neither the United States nor Israel are among the 125 members of the ICC but sanctions could still have a crippling impact on the court's operations.
'We call on our 125 States Parties, civil society and all nations of the world to stand united for justice and fundamental human rights,' added the court, based in the Dutch city of The Hague.
Trump signed an executive order approving sanctions against the court on Thursday, arguing the ICC 'abused its power by issuing baseless arrest warrants targeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Former Minister of Defence Yoav Gallant.' International arrest warrants were issued last year against Netanyahu and Israel's then defence minister Gallant for alleged war crimes in the Gaza war.
Trump's order sanctions employees and supporters of the court who are involved in investigations, indictments or arrest warrants against US personnel or allies such as Israel.
According to the order, assets are to be frozen, and US persons and companies are prohibited from financial and economic transactions with them.
'Sanctioning the ICC threatens the Court's independence and undermines the international criminal justice system as a whole,' wrote European Council President Antonio Costa on X, a day after he met with ICC President Tomoko Akane.
'Companies and organisations might just stop doing business with the ICC because it's too much of a risk,' said James Patrick Sexton, PhD Researcher at the TMC Asser Instituut and University of Amsterdam.
'Big suppliers such as Microsoft might just proactively pull out,' added Sexton, who is working on a thesis examining the interaction between sanctions and international criminal justice.
Sexton said the court would likely engage in a diplomatic drive to drum up support for the ICC and international justice generally.
Technically, the court's founding statute allows the ICC to take action against anyone 'retaliating against an official of the court' or 'impeding, intimidating or corruptly influencing' an ICC member.
Legally, this means the ICC could hit back at Trump. While this is a possibility, Sexton noted 'it wouldn't exactly de-escalate the situation.'
Experts fear that weakening the ICC, which investigates war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and the crime of aggression, could give carte blanche to dictators worldwide.
The sanctions 'seek to undermine and destroy what the international community has painstakingly constructed over decades, if not centuries,' said Agnes Callamard, Amnesty International's Secretary General.
'Global rules that are applicable to everyone and aim to deliver justice for all.' — Agencies