Jurist ICC condemns US order imposing sanctions on its staff

[Dadparvar]

The president of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Judge Tomoko Akane, on Friday condemned US President Donald Trump’s Thursday executive order that imposed sanctions on the court’s staff.

The order follows the ICC’s issuance of arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant, which the US has claimed is illegitimate as Israel is not a party to the Rome Statute. It further argues the need for the court to observe the principle of complementarity, arguing that Israel must be given a chance to investigate and prosecute relevant claims. The ICC has previously rejected the US claims, citing Palestine’s status as a state party to the Rome Statute.

Trump’s order imposes sanctions on both court officials and their immediate families, including blocking access to property and entry into the US. This move follows similar legislative efforts in the US House, which recently passed the “Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act” that would require the president to take similar action against the ICC.

Akane called the executive order part of a series of “unprecedented and escalatory attacks” that seek to undermine the ICC’s ability to administer justice, claiming the attacks are “threats and coercive measures” constituting serious attacks against states parties to the Rome Statute. She further highlighted the ICC’s importance in today’s world:

As atrocities continue to plague the globe affecting the lives of millions of innocent children, women and men, the Court has become indispensable. It represents the most significant legacy of the immense suffering inflicted on civilians by the world wars, the Holocaust, genocides, violence and persecutions. When most of the States of the world gathered to draft the Rome Statute, they made the dream of many women and men come true. Today, the ICC is dealing with proceedings arising from different Situations across the world, in strict adherence to the provisions of the Rome Statute.

In a joint statement, a group of 79 states party to the Rome Statute reaffirmed their “continued and unwavering support for the independence, impartiality, and integrity of the ICC.” The statement noted the importance of the court as an organ for the prosecution and ending of impunity for international crimes, and noted that sanctions could seriously hamper its work by causing closures of field offices and undermine the confidentiality and safety for victims, witnesses, and court officials.

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